


In Order To Remember

by gurgi27



Series: Furuba [1]
Category: Fruits Basket (Anime), Fruits Basket - Takaya Natsuki (Manga)
Genre: Emotional Baggage, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Manipulation, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Illnesses, Memory Alteration, Memory Loss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-14
Updated: 2016-08-14
Packaged: 2018-08-08 19:49:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 59,640
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7770787
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gurgi27/pseuds/gurgi27
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tohru has accepted Kyo's "original form" and all seems well at the home of Shigure Sohma, until Kyo comes across a rather disturbing realization. </p><p>Based mostly from the anime.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally posted at Fanfiction.net so I figured I'd move it over here for you to enjoy.

It started as any normal day at the home of Shigure Sohma, at least as normally as any day can for a family cursed by the Chinese Zodiac. Shigure was absently singing to himself about breakfast time. Kyo was sulking on the stairs. Yuki was just coming into the house after checking on his secret base and its garden. But there was one thing missing, the sweet sound of Tohru's voice or the clattering of dishes from the kitchen as she prepared breakfast. Yuki looked at Shigure who was sitting almost blissfully at the table, his long legs folded as he hummed to himself. Kyo cursed his shoelaces as they refused to unknot so that he could put them on. Someone had knotted them over and over again. He swore it wasn't him though he wasn't sure if Yuki hadn't done it out of spite.

It had been a little more than two weeks since Tohru Honda had confronted Akito at the Sohma House, slightly longer since she'd learned about Kyo's "original" form, a grotesque creature of incredible strength that easily caused fear in any who looked upon it. And it had been just about that long since she'd accepted him despite this form, something no one had done before, especially someone who wasn't a member of the Zodiac.

Yuki leaned against one of the walls, near the doorway that led to the kitchen. So many things had changed, and yet some things were still the same. He laughed slightly to himself as Kyo cursed loudly, then threw his shoes. Shigure seemed completely unaware of his behavior, continually humming his odd tune to himself, eyes closed as he anticipated some delectable concoction of Tohru's for breakfast. Yuki checked his watch. Tohru was usually never late, unless something was wrong or she'd gone off daydreaming. He went into the kitchen to check on her but found the room empty.

"Shigure," he said as he looked into the dining area, "have you seen Miss Honda?"

Shigure looked up from his humming, stopping in mild surprise. "Why no. Now that you mention it, I don't think I've seen her all morning. I wonder where she could be."

Yuki walked towards the stairs, across the room, having to circle around the low dining table on his way. "I should see if she's still in her room."

"I'll do it," Kyo said abruptly from the stairs and quickly ran up them. He wanted to be the one to find her, not the stupid rat.

Shigure shook his head as Yuki clenched his fist. "One way or another, Yuki," he reminded gently with a smile. "After all, he was closer. But while you're up, why don't you see if there's anything left over from last night. Those wantons that Tohru made were quite delicious."

Yuki sighed but headed back into the kitchen.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kyo stopped himself at the top of the stairs and took a deep breath before going to Tohru's door. It was closed. He hesitated a moment, then knocked. "Tohru, you in there?" There was no answer so he knocked louder. "Tohru, I'm coming in." He slid the door open and stepped into her room.

Just as he might have expected, Tohru's room was clean. As usual, the picture of her mom was sitting on the small desk in the corner. He saw the light from the hall reflecting off of it, but was surprised that the windows hadn't been opened or the curtains drawn. Not even the overhead light was on. He flipped the switch and saw that Tohru hadn't made her bed. There was a large twist of bedding in the middle and he might have dismissed it if he hadn't heard a slight groan coming from it.

"Tohru," he said almost cautiously, "you in here?" He walked over to the bed and saw her in what he'd thought was a twist of bedding. "Tohru, time to get up," he said a little more grumpily. "It's a bit late to be sleeping, don'tcha think?"

Her face was turned towards the wall so he couldn't see it, but he thought he heard her breath and it sounded funny. He nudged her shoulder with a finger. "Hey, sleepy head. Wake up." She didn't respond. Some of her hair had fallen down over her face and he went to almost tenderly brush it away, touching her forehead as he did. It was hot, very hot. "Tohru!" He felt panic starting to well up in him. What the hell?

He ran from the room, to the stairs, yelling as he went. "Shigure! Shigure!" He pounded down the stairs, almost tripping at the turning.

Shigure looked up, a wanton in his chopsticks. "What's wrong," he asked as Kyo pounded into the room. "Find something scary up there?"

Kyo wanted to pound Shigure for sounding so...smugly himself. "No, you numbskull! It's Tohru! She'd got a fever! I gotta call Hatori." He ran for the phone but stopped as Shigure grabbed his ankle, almost falling over before stopping.

"Slow down, Kyo," Shigure instructed. "Let's not jump farther than we have to."

"Miss Honda's sick," Yuki asked with concern.

"What did I tell you," Kyo yelled. "She's got a fever!"

Shigure put his chopsticks down and calmly stood up, heading for the cupboard where they kept the thermometer. "Well, I suppose we should just go see," he said, turning around with the thermometer in his hand. Both Kyo and Yuki followed him up the stairs and into Tohru's room. Kyo stalked most of the way, hands in his pockets, his expression totally pissed.

"Tohru," Shigure said gently, shaking her lightly. "Tohru, I need you to stick this under your tongue please."

Tohru groaned slightly but didn't wake up.

"You see," Kyo said in panic. "You see! And I can't wake her!"

Shigure turned her onto her back and stuck the thermometer in her mouth. "Yuki, do you mind getting a cold cloth please?"

Yuki left to get one while Kyo danced around the room, his arms flying out in an agitated manner. "I'm telling you we should call Hatori," he accused. "This is not good. Can't you hear the funny way she's breathing?"

Shigure continued to hold the thermometer as Yuki returned with a damp cloth, which he put across her forehead. "Shigure," he said. "She feels really warm. Maybe we should call Hatori."

Shigure took out the thermometer and looked at it a moment, his own brows furrowing with concern. "Maybe you're right. She has a really high fever, higher than I've ever seen." Before he could finish speaking, Kyo was running down the stairs again, practically wrenching the phone free from its cradle to call Hatori.

"You'd better not be breaking anything," Shigure called after him.

Kyo ignored him, impatiently pounding the numbers and cursing every ring before Hari picked up the phone. He swore it took ten rings for him to answer. "Hatori, you gotta come down here right away!" Kyo said as soon as Hatori picked up the line, not waiting for the older of the two to speak.

"Kyo, calm down," Hatori's gentle, lower voice answered. "Tell me what's wrong."

Kyo started talking so fast that it was hard to follow. "It's Tohru, she's really sick. You gotta come now. I couldn't wake her and she's burning up."

"Kyo, I can barely understand what you're saying. You need to slow down."

Kyo growled in frustration but tried again. "Tohru's sick, really sick. You have to come now!"

"Kyo, I can't just drop everything," Hatori tried to reason. "I'll be there as soon as I can."

"You gotta come now," Kyo tried again. "She's breathing really funny. She may be dying. Please." He hated begging but he couldn't let Hatori just sit back while Tohru suffered. He felt a bit of a lump forming in his throat.

There was silence on the line, then Hatori sighed deeply. "All right, Kyo. I'm on my way."

"Good," Kyo said as he hung up the phone with enough force to make it clang in protest. He ran back up the stairs, after taking a moment to compose himself, puffing slightly as he reentered Tohru's room. Both Yuki and Shigure looked up. "He's coming," Kyo said gruffly in response to their unspoken question, shoving both hands into his pockets.

"You know," Shigure spoke up, "It's kind of funny. She seemed fine last night."

"But didn't she look a little pale," Yuki asked no one in particular. "Now that I think about it, it seems that she's been a bit out of sorts since she confronted Akito."

Shigure thought about that a moment. 'I think you're right," he confessed. "She has been taking a lot of medicine lately, hasn't she? Probably didn't want to bother us."

"Well she damn well should have," Kyo added angrily. "What the hell was she thinking?"

Yuki looked at his watch. "I should be going to school," he said pointedly. "I'm already late." He looked over at Kyo with a slightly accusatory expression.

Kyo didn't miss the look. He folded his arms. "Go ahead and go. I'm not going until I know how Tohru's doing," he said stubbornly.

"All right," Yuki said. "I have student council duties I have attend to. I'll see about having you excused for being late."

Kyo stopped up short and stared at Yuki in surprise. "You'd do that... for me?"

"For Miss Honda," Yuki corrected and headed out the door, picking up his book bag from his room on the way down the stairs.

Several long minutes later Hatori Sohma entered the room, his long legs taking him quickly to Tohru's bed, his doctor's bag in hand, white lab coat going down to his knees, dark hair covering his left eye, as usual. "Shigure," he said in greeting, then knelt down by the bed. "I hope you don't mind that I let myself in." He nodded at the younger of his two cousins. "Kyo. I came over as soon as I could. Now tell me what the problem is." He opened his bag and pulled out a stethoscope and pressed it to Tohru's chest as Shigure answered.

"I've got to tell you, Hatori, I'm actually quite relieved you came so quickly. It doesn't look good. I just took her temperature; it's way too high, a hundred and five." He sounded worried as he spoke, glancing at Hatori's face for any clues as he continued his examination, listening to her breathe through the stethoscope. Tohru coughed slightly but did not wake up.

"How long has she been like this," Hari asked as he stood up and put his instrument away.

"I don't know," Shigure answered truthfully. "She seemed fine last night, but then she has been taking a lot of medicine lately, for headaches and a sore throat. She said she'd just caught a cold and not to worry about it. She seemed to be all right so I let things be."

Hari shook his head sadly, then looked at the floor, contemplating what do to. Kyo paced the room, wondering why he wasn't saying anything. "So," he asked very pointedly, coming to a stop in front of his doctor cousin. "What's she got?"

Hari ran a hand through his hair. "It looks like pneumonia," he said almost tiredly. "And from the sound of it, she's had it for a while now. It's probably partly from stress and exposure. But she's also dehydrated." He turned to Shigure. "You have three options, though I'm not sure which would be best in this situation. We can leave her here and bring in special equipment to treat this, but I really don't advise that. Something like this requires a lot of care. Or we can take her to the hospital where there will always be someone there to watch her."

"And?" Kyo bounced impatiently. "What's the third option?"

Hatori sighed as he put his stethoscope away. "We can take her to my house where I can keep a closer eye on her. There's a spare room near the laboratory."

"But what about Akito!?" Kyo burst out.

"You let me worry about Akito," Hari said almost grimly, looking at Kyo. He turned back to Shigure. "As the unofficial head of this particular house, and as acting legal guardian, it's your decision."

Shigure looked at Hari, then at Kyo. "Is it really that bad?" Hari's lack of response was enough to tell him. He fiddled with his hands a moment, looking at Tohru's face, seeing the red high points on her cheeks, signs of a high fever. "We'll take her to your house," he said tiredly. "I'd rather not trust her care to anyone else."

Hari nodded and picked up his bag. "I'll bring the car around front." He left the room.

Kyo gave Shigure a nasty look. "And just how do you expect us to carry her down the stairs, huh? Even if she is light, we'd have a real fun time carrying her as animals."

Shigure cringed sheepishly as he realized Kyo was right. He looked around. "We can carry her in one of the blankets," he said, "like a large sack of rice. I'll carry one end and you carry the other."

Kyo groaned but agreed since he couldn't come up with any better idea. Shigure would, of course, come up with some idea related to food. "Fine, but I get the side with her head. I don't want you shaking her up."

They pulled out one of her blankets, removing the quilting from around her, then rolled her onto the blanket. Shigure held the ends with her feet and Kyo took the end with her head. They lifted and Kyo groaned with the strain.

"Sure you don't want to trade places," Shigure said almost mockingly.

Kyo grunted but kept his place. "Just don't knock her into any walls," he warned. "You go first so we can keep her head up."

Shigure went out into the hallway first, Kyo following him, trying very hard not to make any sound as he strained slightly with her weight. Maneuvering her around the stairs was a little harder because they had to turn around a corner or two to do so.

Hatori came back into the house. He looked up the stairs in surprise as they came down the turning, both straining slightly with the effort of trying to keep her from scraping against the stairs or hitting into the walls. They made it down the stairs without incident though.

"Here," Hari offered to Kyo, "allow me."

Kyo gladly let him take over carrying his end, puffing and slightly red in the face. "You wouldn't think she'd be so heavy," he complained but followed them outside. "Hey, be careful," he yelled as Shigure almost missed a step down from the porch. "You drop her and you'll be sorry."

Shigure just ignored him as he strained to get Tohru through the back door of Hari's car and onto the backseat. "Just think, we get to do this all over again once we get there," he said as brightly as he could. "Mind closing the door, Kyo?"

Kyo clenched his fists but closed the door behind them and climbed into the car as Shigure sat in the front seat.

"Shouldn't you be going to school now," Shigure asked.

"I already told everyone, I'm not going 'til I know how she's doing," Kyo said stubbornly. "Besides, Yuki's going to clear it with the school." He closed the car door.

"Leave him be," Hari said as he climbed in behind the wheel and started the car. "We could use the help once we get there."

The drive was rather uneventful. Kyo wished it had gone faster as he listened to Tohru breathe funny, like she couldn't quite get enough air. "She's going to be okay, right," he asked Hari worriedly.

"We'll have to wait and see," Hari responded. He didn't like giving false promises.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Once they got to Sohma House, they repeated the same process of carrying Tohru inside where they gently placed her on a spare bed in the spare room off of Hari's laboratory. The two rooms were separated by a corridor that also led to Hari's own living area. Hari went to find more pillows.

"Here, prop her up with these," he instructed once he'd returned. "We need to keep her head higher than her heart."

Kyo and Shigure placed the pillows behind Tohru's head and back, propping her up until she was almost sitting. Kyo gently pulled the cover up to her chest while Hari left the room to make a phone call. He returned a moment later. "My friends at the hospital are going to bring over some equipment," he explained when Shigure gave him a questioning look.

"I hope she'll be okay," Kyo said as Hari went to get something. "She sure doesn't look too good."

"Don't worry," Shigure said too brightly. "Hari's a wonderful doctor. If anyone can cure her, he can."

"Thank you for your words of encouragement," Hari said as he returned again, with some syringes and some phials. He put on a pair of sterile gloves and tied a tourniquet around Tohru's left arm, pushing up the sleeve of her pajamas to do so. He inserted a long needle after sterilizing the skin.

"What're you doing," Kyo asked in surprise.

"I have to take some blood samples," Hari explained, "to figure out what triggered all of this. Pneumonia is usually caused by something else. I need to know what it was if I'm going to correctly treat it." He filled several phials before removing the needle and band around her arm.

"I'm going to have to start her on an I.V. to try and rehydrate her," he warned. He took the blood samples to his lab and returned with an I.V. bag and tubing. He set the bag on a stand and connected the tubing, then rubbed at a spot on her wrist with an alcohol swab before inserting the needle into her skin. Shigure cringed away as he did so.

"That's a really long needle," he said with almost a whimper, throwing his arm up to his forehead dramatically. "Almost as long as the one you used on me."

"Cut it out, Shigure," Hari said without humor. "Shouldn't you be working on your manuscript?"

"I..." Shigure looked blankly at Hatori, then his face filled with comprehension. "I suppose, but you must call me the moment you learn anything," he finished dramatically as he headed for the door. "I don't know if I could live without knowing how poor Tohru fairs. It would be a torment too great to bear."

Hari concentrated on what he was doing, resisting the urge to tap his foot, his expression less than amused. It would be so easy to turn around hastily and do something by complete accident.

"All right, all right," Shigure said. 'I can see when I'm not wanted." He left.

Hari turned to Kyo, his expression not changing.

"I'm not leaving, if that's what you're thinking," he said before Hari had a chance to open his mouth. "And I don't care if Akito finds out."

"No, I wouldn't expect you to," came the reply, almost thoughtfully. "There are some cloths in the laboratory. You should probably try to get her temperature to come down if you can."

Kyo looked up at him with surprise. "You mean you're not going to kick me out?"

"No," Hari replied with almost a hint of a smile. "Someone has to watch her while I'm in the lab. But you are not allowed to wander around where Akito might see you. The last thing Tohru needs is a full on confrontation played out in front of her. Call me if you need me."

Kyo looked gratefully at Hari's retreating back, wondering why he was allowing him to stay. It couldn't have anything to do with his feelings for her, surely. But then everyone else seemed to know or guess. Even Kagura knew, love crazy Kagura who couldn't leave him alone.


	2. Chapter 2

It was late by the time Yuki got home. The stars had come out and the sun had said goodnight. He'd stopped by the secret base to look at his and Tohru's garden, taking a moment to remember the day they'd discovered she'd been living in a tent on their land. He smiled at the memory. She'd had a fever that night too.

"I'm home," he called as he entered the house, sliding the door closed behind him.

Shigure came out of a back room. He looked tired or like he'd been worrying all day. "You're home late," he commented as he rubbed at his eyes.

"How's Miss Honda," Yuki asked quietly, wondering if he should go upstairs and see for himself.

"We took her to Hatori's," Shigure said. He noted Yuki became tense at that announcement. "It was either that or the hospital," he added, trying to convey how serious it was.

"What?" Yuki let his bag drop to the floor, next to Kyo's forgotten shoe from that morning, the laces still hopelessly knotted.

"Apparently she has pneumonia," Shigure continued. "We're not sure yet what caused it but Hari's working on it."

"I have to see her," Yuki said, turning to leave.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Shigure said, coming up behind him and placing a hand on his shoulder. "She'll be fine with Hatori. We can drop in before you have to be to school tomorrow."

Yuki picked up his bag with a sigh. "You're right." He started up the stairs, retrieving his bag. "It's quiet tonight," he commented, pausing on his way up. "Too quiet. Where's Kyo? On the roof again?"

Shigure headed towards the kitchen. "He's probably still at Hari's."

If Shigure thought Yuki had been tense before, he was definitely not prepared for the reaction his statement caused. "Still?" Yuki couldn't believe it. How had that stupid cat weaseled that one? Not only was it stupid (what if Akito caught him?) but it also put Miss Honda in danger by his being there.

"I guess he refused to leave." Shigure started rummaging in the refrigerator, looking for something to eat. "Too bad we left out the wantons this morning. I had to throw them all away," he said with a sigh.

"I'm going over there right now," Yuki said determinedly.

"Yuki, let him be. He's causing no harm by being there. I'm sure Hatori will send him home soon enough. I doubt he'll let him stay the night."

"He'd better not," Yuki said darkly.

Shigure pulled something out of the fridge with a dramatically happy sigh. "Look, leftover leek soup that Tohru made. I could die happy."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hatori stretched, running a hand across the back of his neck. The muscles were stiff from bending over a microscope, a sample of Tohru's blood smeared on a slide. He checked his watch, surprised at how late it had gotten. He'd had to put off running tests due to yet another member of the Sohma household who had cut his hand open while trying to cut something or other. He hadn't asked questions, just stitched up the wounded appendage and prescribed something in case of infection. He'd made time to check in on Tohru during all of the usual visits. It amused him that Kyo refused to leave her side.

His friend from the hospital had brought over the requested equipment, a monitor along with a few other things he knew he'd need. He rubbed at his forehead, his stomach telling him he should probably eat something. There had just been so many small interrupts throughout the day that he hadn't had a chance to really get anything done. Even Akito had demanded more of his time than was usual.

He went into the spare room to check on Tohru and saw Kyo asleep on the chair he'd brought for him. He smiled slightly. At least Akito hadn't had a fit about Tohru being here. He didn't know about Kyo. Perhaps he'd decided to simply let things be, for the time being. Hari didn't have the heart to wake Kyo and send him home, though he'd likely be very hungry in the morning. Not to mention that it would be the wiser course.

Sure that things were at least stable, for the moment, he went in search of something for his own stomach, brewing some tea to wash down the sticky rice he'd started earlier in the day. He certainly hoped Kyo would have the sense to sneak away during the night so that Akito didn't find out he'd been there.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yuki waited impatiently at the door for Shigure to hurry up. Kyo, to his knowledge, had never come home the night before. He wanted to know why, as well as finding out how Tohru was doing.

"I'm coming. I'm coming," Shigure said, recognizing the expression on Yuki's face. "I really don't think they're going anyway though." He smiled his usual amused smile as he closed the door and followed Yuki to Sohma House.

"I won't have another chance to see her today," Yuki said by way of explanation as they walked. "I have another student council meeting after school. We have the class trip to finish planning, as well as the next school-wide activity to put together."

Shigure only paid partial attention, humming to himself as they walked. His expression remained amused.

"I don't know why I'm telling you this," Yuki said abruptly. "You're not even listening."

"Of course I am," Shigure said cheerfully. "Student council meeting and planning a school-wide activity. I understand, but you don't have to walk quite so fast. You'll only wear yourself out." Inside, he was wondering if Yuki would mind too terribly if he followed him all the way to school, under the guise of picking up homework.

Before too long, they were walking into Hatori's place. "Hatori!" Shigure called out in singsong. "We're here!"

Hari walked in from his lab. "Of course. I could hear you coming up the path," he said humorlessly, but Shigure wasn't to be put down. They followed him into the spare room where Tohru lay.

"How is our little Tohru today," Shigure asked, looking at her.

"Her fever came down a little," Hari said, "by two degrees. It's not as low as I'd like, but at least it's lower than previously. She hasn't woken yet. To be fair, it may be partially caused by the medication I've put her on."

Yuki looked at Tohru's pale face, noting the I.V. and monitor. Kyo wasn't in the room. "So you know what-"

"Yes," Hari answered before he could finish the question. "It's called streptococcal pneumonia."

"Strepto what," Kyo asked as he entered the room. He looked like he'd slept in the same clothes he was wearing, and there were faint circles under his eyes.

"It's pneumonia caused by strep throat," Hari explained. "And a bad case of strep throat at that. I wish we'd caught it sooner."

"Strep throat," Shigure said with drama. "Our poor Tohru!"

"I suggest you each take things easy for a while," Hari continued as though Shigure hadn't opened his mouth. "It's not something to fool around with, and can be highly contagious." He looked at Yuki. "You especially need to be careful, what with your previous trouble with your bronchial tubes. I expect you all to call me immediately if you should have any dizzy spells, run a slight fever, or have a sore throat. This strain of strep is not something to fool around with."

Yuki nodded solemnly, then went to Tohru's bedside and gently touched her hand. "I have to go to school but I'll visit again when I can," he said gently, hoping she could hear him. Turning to Kyo, he added, "and you should be going to school as well."

Kyo snorted, arms folded. "Fat chance. I'm staying with Tohru."

"Now, now," Shigure started cheerfully. "Let's not argue."

"I'm not going and that's final," Kyo said firmly. "You can tell them I'm sick or something. I don't care what."

"Mentally," Yuki said under his breath.

"What was that, you stupid rat!?" Kyo clenched his fists at Yuki, ready to pull a punch. Yuki clenched his own fist, bringing the other ready for a karate chop.

"Now boys," Shigure interrupted, "not in front of Tohru."

They stopped mid-swing and looked from Hari to Shigure to Tohru's still form, then both backed down. "Fine," Yuki said resignedly. "I'll tell them you're sick, but any more days and you'll need a note."

"Speaking of notes," Hari said, "I should provide one for Tohru." He went to get some paper and a pen. "You might think about what to tell her friends, as well," he continued. "Having Tohru in the house is one thing, but I'm sure Akito wouldn't appreciate her friends running around as well."

Yuki nodded slowly. "I hadn't thought about that," he admitted. "What should I tell them?"

Shigure made an exaggerated gesture. "Oh why is it always me who has to come up with the good stories? All right, I know. You needn't tell me. I'm the best you have at the moment and I will certainly do my best to make sure you have a good story to tell them."

"Just tell them she's sick and can't have visitors right now," Kyo spoke up aggressively. "It ain't that hard!"

Before Yuki could say anything, Hari had returned with a signed note. "This should take care of any problems with Tohru's attendance. I've stated that Tohru is under my care for an undetermined amount of time due to extreme illness. Let's hope I won't have to write any for the two of you." He handed the note to Yuki but looked at Kyo as he spoke. "And Yuki, the next time you visit you might want to wear a face mask, just to be on the safe side." Yuki inclined his head, though he was very tempted to ask why Kyo wasn't required to wear one.

Shigure seemed only slightly put out by the interruptions. "Well, Yuki, it looks like it's time for you to head off to school. You wouldn't want to be late now, would you?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Uo, hereafter to be called Arisa, was leaning against the wall of one of the many hallways at school. Her expression was impassive, tinged with a bit of a glare as she watched the Yuki Fan club fawning over Yuki as he entered the building. "It makes me sick," she said out loud, "the way they treat him. Honestly, I don't know why he puts up with it."

Hana looked at her friend, her dark hair held back in the usual braid. People swore that when she "made contact" with the electrical signals in the air, a small piece of her hair stuck up on the top of her head like a cowlick or a spike with a swivel head. "He seems out of sorts this morning," she observed.

Arisa flung her light hair to one side, arms folded as she watched the group of giggling girls swarm around the poor boy. He was friendly enough, had a smile for everyone. That was probably one of the main reasons Tohru liked him. "With a herd of love-sick girls hanging on him like that, who wouldn't be?"

"No," Hana said in her gentle voice, "it's something else. Something is troubling him."

"Speaking of troubling," Arisa interrupted, "you haven't seen Tohru lately, have you? It's not like her to miss school. I knew we should have gone over there last night," she added when Hana shook her head.

"Maybe Yuki knows something," she suggested. "Perhaps we should ask him."

Arisa pushed away from the wall and started walking towards Yuki and the giggling girls, Hana by her side. The Fan Club scattered with exclamations of fear as they approached. Yuki had to hold still while they rushed past him to get away, looking behind him to see the cause for their flight. He smiled when he saw Hana and Arisa, but it was a sad smile.

"Good morning Miss Uotani, Miss Hanajima," he greeted.

"So," Arisa started without preamble, "where's Tohru? We didn't see her yesterday. Is she okay?"

Yuki let out a deep sigh. Hana turned to face him more fully. "Something has happened to her," she said, "hasn't it." It was not a question.

Yuki seemed to struggle a bit with answering. "Miss Honda... Miss Honda's sick," he finally admitted.

"What?" Arisa rose up on her toes, her eyes opening wide in worry. "Why didn't she tell us? I knew we should have gone over to see her!"

"I don't think that would be a good idea," Yuki said. "She's very ill and isn't allowed to have visitors."

"Not allowed...? What kind of crap is that? We're like family," Arisa complained. Her body was rigid, fist clenched in Yuki's face. "You can't keep me from going over there right now..."

Hana put a hand out towards Arisa, almost as if she were holding her back. "No, Arisa."

"She's not at the house," Yuki said almost tiredly.

"Then where is she?" Arisa had half a mind to take Yuki by the collar and shake him, or knock his head off. She'd do anything for Tohru and to be denied seeing her when Tohru needed her, preposterous!

"Is it the hospital," Hana asked. "Was she taken there?" Whatever it was, she could sense that Yuki was more worried than he was showing or telling.

Yuki fiddled with his shirt collar a moment, his face slowly turning red. He was definitely feeling uncomfortable about all of this, wishing he could tell them the whole truth but knowing that to do so would endanger not only Tohru but them as well. "You might say that. It's a private clinic."

"Whoa," Arisa said, waving her arms in the air to emphasize her point. "Private? Since when can Tohru afford that?" She gave him a piercing look.

"We called in a favor," he offered as explanation.

"He's speaking the truth," Hana spoke up, feeling sorry for him. And though she wasn't sure it was exactly the truth, it rang with enough of it to count. "I'm sure that if he could tell us more he would. We will have to wait and see what happens. That's what the electrical signals are telling me."

Arisa tipped her head back as if to say, "you gotta be kidding me." She put her hands on her hips and glared at him. "You'll tell us the minute she can have visitors, right?"

Yuki took a moment to answer, whether because he was regaining his composure from the stare down, or because he couldn't bring himself to say what he should. "Of course," he finally answered. "As soon as she's well enough." Hana gave him an impassive look.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After Shigure had left, with a large push from Hatori, several hours after Yuki had gone, Kyo found he had Tohru's room pretty much to himself. Hatori had reminded him not to wander into any parts of his house that Akito could see into and Kyo had only half listened to the lecture. He wasn't stupid, after all. He knew the risk he was running by being there. If Akito found out, he'd be kitty litter, literally. He'd only heard part of what Akito had said when he'd come over the day before, when he'd found out that Tohru was there. He remembered the first exchange fairly well.

"You brought her here!?"

The tone of voice he'd used had almost put chills down Kyo's back. He'd only wished he'd heard more of the conversation but Hari had closed the door between the laboratory and the public part of the house. The door between the spare room and the lab had been closed already, just in case Akito glanced that way. All Kyo knew about the conversation after that was that Akito spoke loud enough for him to hear his anger. Then there was Hari's lower voice mumbling more quietly in reasoning. In the end, Akito had left. Hatori had looked relieved when he'd returned.

The door was closed once again while Hari was off tending to the other members of the Sohma House. Kyo held a wet cloth to Tohru's forehead as he thought about what he'd heard and tried to figure out what Akito could have said. "You know," he said conversationally to the sleeping Tohru, "you're pretty lucky. If Akito really had minded you being here, he'd have come in and ripped your hair out." He knew he'd likely do worse, especially once he saw who else was there. Heads would roll.

Tohru didn't respond to his voice but he felt that somehow, she heard him. She hadn't woken up yet, and even with the medication, her breathing still sounded funny. He focused on that sound for a while, wondering why it sounded so raspy. Every now and again, she'd cough weakly, mumble something incoherent, and continue on as if nothing had happened. He'd gotten almost used to listening to it, like some routine or song he couldn't stop listening to. It was almost hypnotizing. He started to doze.

And woke up with a start, falling out of his chair. Something was wrong.

He picked himself up, angry with himself for falling over, then righted the chair, hoping Hari hadn't heard. He was probably in the main room tending to one of the cousins. He looked at his watch, wondering if that had anything to do with it, checked his beads. They were fine, on his wrist where they should be. He clutched at his chest, heart still pounding, trying to figure out what it was. Then he stopped.

He couldn't hear Tohru breathing.

He jumped to his feet, his body as rigid as an angry cat, back arched. If anyone had been looking, they might have fancied a set of cat ears sticking out of his orange-ish hair, cat fangs protruding from his teeth. He would likely have reminded someone of a cat ready to either attack or fly for its life.

He looked at Tohru. Her lips were turning blue. He shook her. "Come on Tohru. Stop that. You're scaring me," he said in rising panic. "Come on."

Her raspy breathing did not resume, despite his shaking her. He didn't know if he dared do anything else.

Hatori was applying some antibiotic to a scrape on Kisa Sohma's knee. Kisa had fallen on the way home from school and had stopped by Hari's on the way because his house was closer. Her young face was smudged with tears. He wondered if someone hadn't really shoved her around causing her scrape, instead of just tripping as she'd said had happened. Even though she'd found the courage to go back to school and talk again, she was still timid and often teased and bullied by the children her age. If he could have, he would have done something about it.

He was just putting a band aide on her knee when Kyo burst into the room, his hands slicing the air in an almost manic way, his eyes a story of absolute panic. "Hatori," he yelled, not even caring if anyone else heard him. "Hatori!"

Hari was just about to reprimand him for coming into the main part of the house when he stopped to consider Kyo's emotional state.

"Hatori, it's Tohru," he said almost too quickly to understand. "She's not breathing!'

"Sissy's sick?" Kisa asked worriedly.

Hari stood up quickly and began to follow Kyo into the back room. "Kisa, stay here." But Kisa wouldn't be left behind if her beloved sissy were sick. She followed after them.

Once in the back room, Hari saw that Kyo was right. Tohru's lips had gone decidedly blue and the monitor, which had been turned down, was flashing an alarm. He turned to assess what he had on hand for the situation, noticing Kisa had followed them. "Take her out of here," he said very firmly.

Kyo quickly grabbed Kisa's hand. Her eyes were as big as silver dollars, her face drawn out in fear for her sissy. "Come on," he said, tugging on her to follow, probably harder than he should. She wouldn't budge.

"No! Sissy!" Kisa yelled as Kyo scooped her up and carried her out of the room, heading past the laboratory and deposited her on a low couch. She struggled to get up and away.

"You gotta stay here," Kyo said angrily. "You can't be in there right now."

"Sissy! Sissy! Let me go!" Kisa was practically screaming.

Momiji, another Sohma cousin, chose that exact moment to enter Hari's house, looking for Kisa. His boyish face said he was younger than he truly was, and his outfit was definitely not something most boys would wear. His shorts were of the shorter variety, a light blue, with a girl-ish looking jacket over a light colored shirt. He wore a brightly colored cap over his blond hair. He stopped in mid-stride when he saw Kyo struggled to keep Kisa from getting off the couch. "What's going on? Stop that, Kyo. You're hurting her!"

Momiji's voice distracted Kyo only for a moment but Kisa took it and kicked him as hard as she could. "Let me go! I wanna see Sissy!"

"Momiji, help me," Kyo growled. "We gotta keep her from going back to see Tohru." He continued to hold Kisa's arms, despite her kicking. "Stop that, will you," he growled.

Momiji's face filled with surprise. "What's Tohru doing here? Is she sick?"

"Never mind! Just help me!" Kyo grabbed for Kisa's hands again. She'd managed to get them free. "Hatori says she's not to go back there, no matter what." Kisa somehow managed to twist so that her hands moved closer to her face. With tears of anger welling in her eyes, she bit him. He let go with a shriek of rage and raised a hand to hit her. She ran for Momiji, burying her face in his chest as she started to cry.

Kyo shook with checked emotion. "Keep her out here or so help me, you'll be sorry."

Momiji looked at Kyo, his eyes large with shock but he didn't dare disobey. If he hadn't known any better, he might have thought Kyo would thump him too if he didn't.

Seeing that he'd keep Kisa there, Kyo turned around and stalked back through the lab to Tohru's room. He couldn't see what Hatori was doing to her but he knew that he definitely was going to help if Hari'd allow it.

"Here," Hari said, seeing him come back in, "Hold her by her shoulders." He had Tohru leaning over a small basin. Her body was wracked with spasms that reminded Kyo of someone throwing up, except that she was coughing up something that definitely did not look or smell pretty.

Kyo obediently held Tohru's shoulders while her body shook, the awful smelling stuff spilling out of her mouth and nose. "Yuck! What is that stuff," he asked with revulsion, turning his face away and trying to hide his nose in his shoulder. If he could have, he would have plugged his ears as well. Her coughing and retching definitely sounded horrible and he was tempted to lose his own lunch.

A minute later, Tohru's body stopped convulsing and her coughing decreased to an occasional outburst, her face red, but at least she was breathing!

"It's all right," Hari was saying to her, and then he gently wiped her face off with a cloth. He moved the basin and set it down somewhere. Kyo didn't see where, nor did he really think about it. If he thought he could have gotten away with it without turning into a cat, he'd have scooped Tohru up, her feeble body in his arms. But instead, he pushed a stray strand of hair from her face.

"That's what was in her lungs," Hari finally said in answer to Kyo's question, a question he'd almost forgot he'd even asked.

"That?" He looked at the basin with disgust. "No wonder she couldn't breathe!"

"Yes, no wonder," Hari gravely agreed as he helped Kyo lay her back against the pillows. "It's a good thing you were paying attention," he added. "You may have just saved her life."

They both looked at Tohru, a slight sheen of moisture on her skin. She groaned, her head tilting a bit more to one side, like a marionette whose string had been cut. Her cheeks were still flushed.

"How can she sleep through all that," Kyo asked with more heat than he'd meant. She'd definitely given him a scare and he wasn't about to forget it any time soon.

"It's, in part, because of the medication," Hari said, "and because she is so ill. Her temperature's gone back up," he noted as he took the basin away.

Kyo sank into the chair, weariness stealing over him. He felt inclined to cough himself but decided it was only because she'd been coughing too. He didn't feel like he could very well complain after what had just happened. She'd almost died!

Hari returned a few minutes later. "I've sent Kisa and Momiji home," he said, wondering if Kyo even remembered about them. He'd certainly been surprised to see Momiji there, but once he'd learned about Kyo's threat, he wasn't entirely surprised. He'd had to reassure Kisa, telling her that Tohru needed to sleep and that if she came back tomorrow she might be able to see her. Only after he'd reassured her did she agree to let Momiji take her home.

"You should probably go home as well. It's becoming more dangerous for you to be here, especially after your outburst," he continued. His shrewd eyes noted Kyo's eyes seemed slightly glazed over. He wasn't sure though, if it wasn't simply from the shock of what had happened, but he had his suspicions.

Kyo looked sulkily at the wall, not bothering to lift his head. It was easier to glower at a wall than at Hatori.

"If Akito didn't know you were here before, he very well may now," Hari reasoned. "It's safer for the both of you if you leave now."

"No...way...I'm not going." Kyo tried to stand up to confront him, fists clenched tightly. He swayed slightly as he did so. He felt dizzy all of the sudden. Probably from the shock, he reasoned. The last hour had been an emotional roller coaster and had probably put too much strain on him. He almost anticipated changing forms.

Hatori was almost instantly by his side, trying to persuade him to sit back down.

"Get off me," Kyo said and pushed him away. "I thought you wanted me to go." He felt a bit lightheaded but sat back down. He didn't know if he had the energy to fight him over it.

"Kyo, look at me," Hari commanded.

Kyo lifted his eyes to look into Hatori's. "I'm... not... leaving." His throat tickled again and he tried to mentally smother the cough before it left his throat.

Hari grabbed his shoulder firmly and tried to place his other hand on Kyo's forehead. Kyo's anger flared. He evaded him, breaking away as he stood up abruptly and pushed Hari away. "Leave me alone," he growled. "I'm fine." He moved quickly over to the door, weaving slightly as he did so, and slipped outside before Hari could grab him again.

Hari let his hand drop back to his side, watching as he left. "Hmmm." He ran a hand through his hair, debating on whether or not to go after him or let things be. He'd likely come back, but when? It wouldn't do to create another scene. Akito may not have learned about the commotion, but he may have heard Kyo's voice which might lead him to check on things. At least Kyo wouldn't be here if that was the case. He looked at Tohru and sighed. He'd probably have to put her on oxygen after this. Her wracking cough could have easily caused damaged inside. He just hoped that most of the fluid that had been in her lungs was there no longer. At least they'd gotten some of it out.


	3. Chapter 3

Kyo wove around the grounds of Sohma House, trying his best to avoid causing a scene as he made his way out of the place. He hoped Akito hadn't seen him, or anyone who would tell him that he'd been there. If nothing else, he at least wanted a clean shirt. Some of that nasty smelling stuff had gotten on it, and as much as he loved Tohru, he really didn't want to live with the smell of her...whatever it was... on him.

He leaned against one of the trees near the gates. He still felt a little dizzy but he knew he should leave before anything else happened. Resignedly, he went through the gate and headed home, walking in half a daze as he did so. He couldn't believe something like that could have happened to Tohru. It was crazy! He'd sneak back in after dark, preferably after Hari was asleep so that he needn't be bothered with him checking up on him. It was annoying. There was absolutely nothing wrong with him! Okay, maybe he was in a bit of shock, he reasoned, but that was it.

Instead of coming in the front door, he decided to climb up the side of the house and get into his room that way. Maybe he was being contrary about it, but he definitely didn't want to deal with either Yuki or Shigure right now. With a grunt of effort, he hoisted himself up and scrambled to get over the railing of the second floor. He thought he heard Shigure talking on the phone somewhere but wasn't sure. He didn't care either. One more step and he was over the railing but he had to bend over to catch his breath.

"I shouldn't be... having so much... trouble. It's all Yuki's fault," he decided and went into his room. He threw himself onto the bed with a grunt and went to kick his shoes off, as was habit, suddenly realizing that he wasn't wearing any. "Stupid!" He thought about yesterday morning and how he'd thrown them down the stairs when he couldn't get them unknotted. Growling, he went to go retrieve them if for no other reason than to have something to do.

"Uh huh," Shigure was saying to someone over the phone. "Yes, well..." He looked up as Kyo let out another snarl of rage. "No, he's here." There was a pause and if Kyo had been paying more attention he might have caught what the person on the other end was saying. "Looks his usual self to me. Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on him." Then he hung up the phone.

"Damn...shoe laces!" Kyo had picked up one of the shoes. He tripped over the other in the process, cursing them both loudly. He looked up, seeing Shigure watching him, laughter filling his stupid little mouth. "Don't say a word," he warned. His face was red with anger.

Shigure shook with his suppressed laughter, tears leaking out of the corner of his eyes.

"Well, what're you looking at?!" Kyo thrust forward into the room, standing directly in front of Shigure and right into his face. "Huh? Huh?!"

"I'm sorry," Shigure said while wiping away a few tears, "but you looked so funny just now that I couldn't help myself."

"Well you'd better!" Kyo clenched his fists in his face and would have thrown a punch but the front door slid open at just that moment as Yuki came home. "You stupid rat! It's all your fault!" Kyo yelled when he realized who it was.

Yuki stood in the doorway, his mouth open in surprise as he looked at Kyo. "So, you finally decided to leave her," he said through his teeth.

"Why I oughtta...!" He lunged for Yuki but Shigure had enough presence of mind to grab hold of his shoulders before he could get anywhere. "Let go of me!" He struggled against his firm grip.

"Shouldn't you be playing nice," Shigure asked.

Kyo wrenched free and ran out the door, yelling as he went. "Why don'tcha just leave me alone!"

Yuki stepped aside as Kyo ran out, swaying slightly as he whisked by. He brushed himself off, then closed the door behind him. "What was that all about?"

Shigure shrugged. "What's anything about these days?" He straightened his robes. "Hatori just called."

Yuki had just started for the stairs as Shigure spoke. He slowly turned around. "Miss Honda?"

"Apparently there were a few... difficulties this afternoon," Shigure answered, but continued quickly as Yuki pressed forward. "But she's all right now."

"What happened?"

He fingered his robes, looking down. "She stopped breathing," he finally said.

"What?" Yuki stiffened.

"It's all right though," Shigure said, laughing uncomfortably. "Kyo called for help in time. She's worn out but breathing again." Yuki turned to head back outside. "He doesn't want anyone coming over tonight," Shigure added and Yuki stopped.

"Does Kyo know that?" He clenched his fist.

"No," Shigure answered, "But I think he's more likely to go sulk on the roof for a while. Actually, Hatori wanted us to keep an eye on him tonight."

"Why?" Yuki didn't turn around, his fist still clenched.

Shigure walked up behind him and laid a hand on his shoulder. His expression had turned grave. "Because he's worried. Kyo hasn't quite been himself today, or so I'm told." He moved as if to look past Yuki but he wouldn't have seen anything through the door even if he'd had x-ray vision. "Hari called partly wondering if I'd seen him. I guess he stormed out of his place an hour ago."

"I wonder why." Yuki's voice was laced with venom.

"But I suppose he's likely gone off somewhere to sulk," Shigure continued. "Let me know if you see him." And he walked off into the kitchen.

Yuki continued to stare at the door, slowly unclenching his fist. After all, Kyo wasn't there for him to vent his frustration on.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kyo, as it happened, was on the roof. While Shigure and Yuki were talking, he'd scrabbled up there, using the back porch. He stared up at the evening sky moodily. He'd had a hard time climbing up to the roof and it made him mad. It shouldn't be like this!

He threw a stone he'd found in his pocket, watching it flash in the now dwindling light as the sun went down for the night. He'd wait until everyone inside was asleep then go back. He coughed a bit, his throat feeling raw.

"It's all Yuki's fault," he said to the sky. "If you'd just lay off I might get some peace around here!"

Maybe in a few hours he'd go into his room and finally change his shirt. He'd have to go inside to get his shoes anyway, and he'd also want something to eat. There was no way he was going back down there while Yuki was awake. He had half a mind to go to his "secret base" and rip up a few plants for spite, except that it wasn't just Yuki's garden. It was Tohru's too and how did you tell which part belonged to whom?

He dangled a leg down one side, tapping it gently against the shingles, then kicked it as hard as he could. That stupid rat! Everything was his fault, his and Akito's. He'd probably been the one who'd ordered Kazuma to take his beads away so that he'd take on his original form. Kazuma, his master, wouldn't do anything so cruel. At least he didn't think he would.

"It's all your fault!" He yelled out, now standing on the ridge. "None of this would have happened if it hadn't been for you!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Below, Shigure and Yuki could both hear him yelling as they ate. "What did I tell you," Shigure said. "He's on the roof. I don't think he'll come down before morning." He lifted another chopsticks' worth of food to his mouth.

Yuki tried to ignore Kyo's voice as he picked through his rice. They'd ordered out again, what with Tohru being ill and neither one being a good cook. "If he falls off he has no one to blame but himself," he commented.

"Hmmm," Shigure mused but didn't reply.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Somewhere a clock struck midnight. A cat meowed from the ground and Kyo opened his eyes with a start. "Go away," he hissed at the cat, which was looking up at him from below. He'd fallen asleep on the roof and now he had a sore back. He cursed the roof quietly, trying to keep things down, hoping that everyone downstairs was asleep. If only the cat would go away too, with its quiet mewing. If he wasn't careful, even more cats would come. He slipped down the roof to the second floor and his room, taking his shirt off as he walked in.

"I was wondering when you'd come down," Yuki said quietly from the doorway.

Kyo grabbed for a clean shirt and threw it on. "Get out of my room!" he said and stumbled in the dark as he headed towards Yuki. "You have no right to be in here!"

"Like it or not, we both love Tohru," Yuki said quietly, his voice tight.

"What's that got to do with anything?" He tried to push Yuki out but Yuki wasn't budging.

"Hatori says he's worried about you."

"So, he can worry if he wants," Kyo retorted. "I won't stop him. What do you want anyway? Come to gloat over the 'stupid cat'?"

Yuki folded his arms. "Don't talk so loud. Shigure's sleeping."

"I can talk loud if I want to," Kyo said, but he lowered his voice all the same. Yuki was right; he didn't want Shigure to wake up. Now if only Yuki would leave him alone and go to bed too.

"We're both worried about Miss Honda," Yuki said. "I guess I just envy you."

Kyo snorted. "Yeah right. Why should you?"

"Because you get to spend so much time with her."

"Oh come on!" Kyo went back to his bed and sat down. "And you don't get to spend time with her? You have your secret base where you two are all the time."

"But I haven't been with her since she got sick," Yuki said quickly.

"Not my fault," Kyo defended. "I'm not the one who went for student council president." He said the last bit snidely.

Yuki clenched his fists but tried to contain himself. "Just stop spending so much time with her," he said and left the room.

Kyo watched his retreating form and shook his head with a snort. "Man, he's wacked."

He picked up his dirty shirt and stuck it in a laundry hamper, then closed his door, listening as Yuki closed his own door. He could hear Yuki rummaging around as he got ready for bed. He waited a full twenty minutes after all sound ceased before he quietly slid his door open again and headed for the first floor, walking slowly because the lights were off. Even with cat eyes, things had a tendency to jump out at you if weren't careful, and he still wasn't sure about his steps. He was still a bit dizzy.

Once on the ground floor, he stubbed his toes a bit while trying to feel around for his shoes. He had to resist the urge to curse them yet again, so that he wouldn't wake anyone. It wouldn't do to have someone wake up now. He slipped the shoes on, despite the knotted laces.

Creeping as quietly as he could, he headed for the kitchen. His stomach was rumbling. The light from the fridge almost blinded him and he closed the door quickly, shielding his eyes and cursing. He opened the door again, slowly, and looked around, noting leftovers from take-out. He picked at one of the cartons, cringing at the smell of leeks. He pushed the carton aside and reached for another one, one that contained chow mien. He bumbled around until he found some chopsticks and ate half of what was left in the carton, sticking it back in the fridge, chopsticks stuck in the noodles. His stomach stopped rumbling.

Now that his stomach had something in it, though nowhere near enough, he decided it was time to head back to Sohma House. He crossed his fingers that everyone was asleep. It would almost be easier to sneak in as a cat but he didn't know if he could make himself transform, and short of finding a girl to come in contact with, he had no other ideas other than to just sneak in old school style. Besides, what would Hari or even Tohru, should she wake, think about finding a naked Kyo on the floor? Not to mention, his fiery orange pelt would be easily recognized by anyone on the grounds. It wasn't that easy to hide that color in the dark. Why couldn't he transform into a black cat?

At the gate, he struggled to climb to the roofing, running lightly along until he came near the inner courtyard. At least his clothes were dark. He'd thought that much ahead at any rate, though he hadn't exactly remembered that his hair would likely be easily distinguished by anyone who saw him. Not that too many usually cared about him in that part of the grounds. It was the inner court that would be harder. Hatori's house wasn't too far from Akito's, after all.

He tried to slink from bush to rock, any shadow he could find. There was a tense moment when he saw Akito's silhouette in the window of the main house and he froze in his tracks, trying to breathe quietly, hoping he was well enough in the darkest corners to not be noticed.

Akito turned from the window and, when nothing happened, Kyo sighed with relief and continued onward, thanking his lucky stars. "I'm coming Tohru," he said quietly as he neared Hatori's house.

A light burned in Hari's bedroom but the rest of the house seemed quiet. He slid down to the ground and snuck from shadow to shadow until he came up to one of the windows on the other side of the house and looked in. It was dark inside. He pushed open the screen and climbed in, laying on the floor a moment while he caught his breath. Once he'd done that, he crept to the back room, carefully avoiding Hari's room as he went.

A low light was coming from the lab, spilling into the room, the monitor keeping track of Tohru's breathing and heart rate. He saw that she'd been hooked to an oxygen tank, but at least her breathing sounded better. He touched her hand, which felt cold to him. He knelt on the floor, looking up into her face. "I'm here," he said quietly. "Don't worry, I'll keep an eye out." He curled up on the floor, his strength spent. Not too long after, he was sound asleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hatori woke early, just before the sun truly rose, instinct waking him. Something felt wrong. He quickly dressed, pulling on clean clothes and headed for Tohru's room. From the onset, everything looked fine. She was still asleep. But he felt a slight breeze coming from somewhere down the main hallway and went to investigate. He found one of the screens open in the main room of his clinic.

He looked around with annoyance, wondering who had moved it. The early light swept over the empty room but didn't reveal anything out of place. He was almost relieved but his feeling of something being off didn't go away. He retraced his way back to Tohru's room, checking each corner on his way back. Everything was in order, including his supplies in the laboratory.

He went back into Tohru's room and looked around, the light now on. Then he saw it. A shoe protruded from behind the far side of the bed, a shoe with hopelessly knotted laces. He walked quietly over and nudged it. Its owner groaned and Kyo groggily uncurled from his position on the floor.

"Kyo?" Hatori took a step back. "What are you doing here?"

Kyo put a hand on the bed and used it as leverage to sit up, trembling a bit as he did. He grumbled. "What's it look like? I was sleeping." He shielded his eyes from the light.

"I can see that, but what are you doing here?" Hari noted that he was in a different shirt, which meant that Shigure and been right. He'd at least gone home for a while. He must have snuck back in after everyone had fallen asleep.

"Had to see...Tohru." He stood up with effort, swaying a bit as he did so. Hari put out a supporting hand but he pushed it away, using the bed instead. "I can do it. I'm not a baby, ya know. I don't need any help." He looked tired, like someone who hadn't gotten enough sleep, which was very likely. And his face seemed flushed.

"Sit down," Hari commanded his younger cousin.

"What for?"

"Just do it." He forced Kyo to sit in the chair, noting that he didn't fight as much as he probably would have, unlike yesterday. That alone told him volumes. He put a hand up to his forehead. It was decidedly warmer than it should be. He sighed. "How long?"

Kyo grumbled and kicked off his shoes, guessing he could no longer hide it. He folded his arms defiantly. He could play at misunderstanding the question but knew he wouldn't fool Hari. "A few days," he said grumpily. "Didn't feel like saying anything with Tohru being so sick and everything. It's no big deal."

Hari felt his neck, noting that Kyo's glands were swollen. "Does it hurt to swallow?"

Kyo glared. "Yeah, 'specially when you do that. And sometimes I cough," he added, knowing what would come next. He tried to stifle the urge that followed his comment.

Hari pulled out a thermometer and stuck it between Kyo's lips, under his tongue. "Keep that there until I say," he commanded and left the room to get his bag.

Kyo crossed one of his legs, agitatedly bouncing the other one, but obediently left the thermometer in his mouth. Hari returned shortly, his bag in hand. He pulled out his stethoscope and pressed it against Kyo's chest. "Breathe in and out, slowly," he instructed.

Kyo did as he was told, though it seemed to make his throat feel scratchier, enduring while Hari looked in his ears and up his nose. "You finished," he said around the thermometer, trying very hard to keep it under his tongue. He was almost afraid that if he said anything else, he'd bite the glass instrument in two, just because it would make him angrier to have to talk around it.

Hari didn't answer but took the thermometer and looked at it. He took a long time looking at it. "Let me look down your throat." He shone his penlight at Kyo's tonsils.

"All right already," Kyo growled with little enthusiasm, thinking he was taking too long over everything. "Just tell me what it is!"

Hari put the light in a pocket of his coat. "My suspicion is strep throat," he said matter of factly. "Not really surprising, all things considered. I can't be sure without a few tests though." He pulled out a long swab from its sterile packaging.

"What's that for," Kyo said with some alarm, not liking the purposeful expression on Hari's face.

"It's for a throat culture. I need a sample of tissue from the back of your throat," he explained with some impatience.

"Over my dead body. Looking's one thing, but jabbing..." Kyo tried to stand but sank back in his chair, his head spinning. He put a hand up to his head and clamped his lips closed.

"Don't strain yourself," Hari said. "It will only make it worse. You shouldn't even be sitting. You've managed to make yourself fairly ill." He forced his younger cousin to open his mouth while he swabbed his tonsils, then walked away with his sample, leaving Kyo gagging.

"Where... you going," Kyo asked, feeling entirely drained but still trying to sound gruff. He wished he'd thought to bite him while his hand was in his mouth.

"I'm going to take care of this and find the spare cot I keep lying around. You're too sick to send home right now," Hari replied. "And while I'm gone you might want to think about how you'd like to take your medication. I can give you the same thing I'm giving Tohru, but it's only in the form of an injection, or you can wait until I can send someone to a pharmacy."

It didn't take long for Hari to set up the cot, though he waited to get it until he was sure of the test's outcome. His suspicions had been confirmed. But before he could instruct Kyo to move over to the narrow bed, a shadow filled the doorway.

"So." The voice was laced with venom. "He is here. I thought I saw something... feline... flitting about late last night."

Hari turned to look at Akito. Kyo swayed in his chair. He leaned his elbows against his knees, wondering if that would help make the room stay put. He looked up through his orange hair and eyes hazy with fever. "Akito," he said groaning, then looked back down at his knees. His head felt heavy, too heavy for his neck to support. The air was suddenly much thicker.

Akito smirked. "Finally caught sneaking him in?" he asked. "Why Hatori, how could you?"

"You needn't worry about him," Hari said in a dangerously quiet voice, doing his best to restrain himself as he stood up from smoothing out the sheets.

"Oh really," Akito replied, hands on hips. "You know the rules, Hatori. He has no place here."

Kyo clenched his fist, stealing himself to stand up, hoping he wouldn't flop over the moment he did. He felt suddenly worse with Akito here, as if every breath Akito took spewed poison into the air.

"I allowed Tohru with the understanding of things to happen," he continued, ignoring Kyo for the moment. "But to allow the cat..." He said the last word with total disgust.

Kyo was unable to hold himself back any longer. "Why I oughtta..." he said as he stood up too quickly. The world spun. He groaned and lurched, falling to his knees. One hand went to the ground; the other went to his stomach, his forehead touching the floor where he stayed. He cursed his knees for not holding him up, silently adding a curse at Akito for breathing.

"Oh, I see," Akito said with malice. "The poor cat stayed too close to the door and got his tail caught. You really should have been more careful. But then you would never think to hide that mop of hair, now would you?" He gloated over Kyo's fallen form. "Miserable are we?"

Hatori's eyes glittered but Kyo didn't answer as Akito continued to gloat over him. He knew it would only make matters worse. Besides, he had to keep his eyes closed or the room spun.

"What's this? The cat whimpering?" Akito laughed. "Yes, I suppose you are miserable."

"Leave him be," Hatori said firmly.

"Why Hatori, I didn't know you cared. How could anyone, especially for this miserable excuse for life," Akito said as he turned to face Hari. "It's almost sickening." His eyes twitched. "Not that it really matters, but how sick is he?"

Hari didn't immediately answer the quietly spoken question, which only angered Akito more.

"HOW SICK IS HE?!"

Hari blinked but looked steadily into Akito's eyes. "Sick enough that he can't go home."

"Oh really. Is that so? Well, we'll see, won't we?" Akito walked the few paces to Kyo's side and kicked him with a sandaled foot, hard. He did so twice, once in the ribs and once in the softer stomach area, where Kyo's hand wasn't protecting it. Akito half expected him to do something but he only groaned quietly, gritting his teeth through the pain. His stomach was in knots and started to heave, making it even harder to breathe.

Hari looked at Akito with shock, unable to move. He knew how hard he could kick.

Akito snorted with disdain. "I suppose you're right. How disappointing." He took a step back, but not quite fast enough. Kyo's body convulsed and up came his late night supper. There wasn't much but it was enough to make a mess on the floor, almost hitting Akito's shoe, a small amount splashing up onto the hem of his robe.

Akito looked with horror at his feet, the mess of vomit on the floor, Kyo's convulsing form and almost involuntarily took another step back, making disgusted faces as he did so. "You...! You...!" He shook with rage, blood vessels throbbing.

"Akito," Hari addressed him sharply. "I suggest you calm down. This will only do you harm."

He looked at Hari, realizing he was right, though he would never admit anything of that nature. He moved his gaze to Kyo. He really was a pitiful creature. Almost as pitiful as Tohru Honda. He didn't know which he hated the most at the moment. Perhaps both. How dare he throw up on him?! He was half tempted to vent out in a rage but checked himself. Kyo wasn't going anywhere and it wasn't as much fun if there wasn't a challenge to it. He'd never tell Hari he was right.

"He can stay," he said with a voice of pure malice as he turned away from the disgusting creature. "For now. But this doesn't mean he was invited here! And if I see him wandering around the grounds..." His fists were shaking but he decided it was best to just get out of there before any other part of his clothing was fouled up by that... that disgusting creature. He'd never get the taint of it off, and he'd really liked that robe too. He brushed close to Hari as he walked out the door, leaving his threat hanging. His footsteps were loud on the wood floor.

Hatori closed his eyes in relief, letting out the breath he'd been holding, his fists unclenching in his coat pockets. He hadn't seen Kyo throw up but he'd heard it. And knowing how hard Akito could kick, he wasn't entirely surprised. "That was close," he commented under his breath. "Too close." I just hope he doesn't go and do something foolish.

He turned to Kyo. "You can get up now," he said more gruffly than he meant to. Of course he'd have to be the one to clean up the mess. Too bad he couldn't ban Akito from his house. It almost would have made things easier.

Kyo silently whimpered. He'd never let Hari know how bad it was. He weakly hit the floor with a clenched fist when he couldn't make himself move, angry that he didn't have the power within him to do as Hari asked. His ribs and stomach hurt and his head was whirling. He was afraid that if he even tried to sit up he'd only fall back over or worse. "I... can't," he admitted quietly, his voice hard.

Hari sighed and went to help him, doing his best to not jostle him or get him in the mess on the floor, though it was hard. The boy was practically limp in his arms.

Kyo hunched over as he helped him over to the cot, eyes tightly closed so that he didn't have to see the ground spin under him, or anything else for that matter. He was breathing hard before he'd been situated on the narrow bed, clutching his arms to his chest in fetal position and shivering slightly once he was left to lie there. His body was turned to face the wall, knees drawn up. It hurt to breathe, but only partly because of Akito.

Hari pulled a sheet up over his shoulders, his eyes filled with calculated concern, the eyes of a doctor assessing a difficult situation. He debated. Akito's poison only made things worse, even if it was only the poison of malice. Kyo had been much better before Akito had arrived.

"I'll be back," he said finally and went to get something. He returned with another blanket, some cleaning cloths and a hypodermic, which he set to one side. He spread the blanket over Kyo's scrunched body, hoping that would help him with the shivering.

He used the cloths to clean the mess before anyone else stepped in it. That taken care of, he pulled a small phial from his lab coat pocket and filled the needle. "I can't wait for someone to bring a different medication," he said. "And I'm sure you can't either. Believe me, if I thought there was any other way, I would take it. I know how much you hate these kinds of things."

He tapped the needle, squirting some of the liquid back out to get rid of any air bubbles and set it aside. He tried to pull Kyo's arm out from under the blanket. It took some effort since Kyo didn't want to move. It was like picking up a pitiful baby kitten that couldn't help but fight, even knowing that the person trying to hold it only wanted to help.

He cleaned the inner part of his elbow with an alcohol swab. He had to keep a firm grip on Kyo's arm, knowing he would only pull it back towards himself if he let go, which meant he'd have to fight to get it free again. Still holding his arm firmly, he put down the swab and picked up the syringe. "I hope this will help you feel better soon." He slid the needle into the skin near the crook of his elbow and pushed firmly down on the plunger, the medication entering the bloodstream.

Kyo cringed, a shudder running through him, his eyes still closed, but he didn't fight it. Hari hadn't been sure if he would and was glad when he didn't seem to have the strength to. It was over before he'd thought to complain. And with the drug running through him, he suddenly felt even more tired than he had before.

"I'll call your school, and I suppose I'd better let Shigure know as well," he heard Hari say as his mind started to drift with the drug.

"What... was.... that stuff...?" he slurred, pulling his arm back towards his chest, clutching at it like it were broken.

"Try to get some sleep," Hari answered.

Those last words seemed to echo in his mind as everything else went black.


	4. Chapter 4

"I understand," Shigure said then hung up the phone. He rubbed at his eyes tiredly. He'd worried about Kyo, getting up early to check on him but saw that his room was still empty. He'd hoped he was still up on the roof but now he knew otherwise.

Yuki entered the room, his book bag in hand. He stopped when he saw Shigure hanging up the phone.

Shigure looked over. "Good morning, Yuki. Kyo won't be going to school this morning," he said.

Yuki snorted quietly. "I'm not surprised." I thought I told him to keep away from Miss Honda. I guess he just doesn't know how to listen.

"He's sick," Shigure said matter of factly. "I guess he went back to Sohma House late last night. Hari found him on the floor."

Yuki shook his head with disgust. Of course he'd gone back. How like Kyo was that? "Serves him right," he muttered.

"You might be interested to know that Akito is aware..." Shigure continued, not sure how Yuki would take that. After all, they all knew that Kyo had basically been forbidden to enter the main house, including any in the inner courtyard.

"Akito?" A vessel in his temple throbbed with tension. He didn't necessarily agree with Akito on a lot of things, in fact he didn't agree when it came to most things, but it served the stupid cat right if he'd been caught.

"Yes," Shigure sighed. "He wasn't happy about the situation but it appears that he has little choice but to let matters lie. Kyo's too sick to be moved."

Yuki shrugged his shoulders, trying to pretend like he didn't care. Kyo was likely faking it, after all, to keep out of trouble. "And Miss Honda?"

"I didn't ask," Shigure responded as he headed to the kitchen.

"You didn't..." Yuki did his best to control his emotions, finally turning away. "I'm going to school. I'll see you after, though I'll probably go over to see Miss Honda before coming home." He didn't get any reply so he just headed out the door.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hana and Arisa watched Yuki from across the school grounds. Both were eating their lunches, watching their fellow classmates come and go.

"There is a lot of tension today," Hana said. "Have you noticed that Tohru isn't the only one who is missing? Kyo is also absent."

Arisa laughed. "Who, Orange-top? I hadn't noticed." She took a bite of her sandwich but didn't taste it. She would likely be the last to admit it, but she had noticed his absence as well. The two struck off each other like flint and steal. They were both competitive and she definitely loved the challenge but didn't seem to care for him otherwise.

. "I don't like it," Hana said. "There is more going on than meets the eye. I believe it all began the night we found Tohru at Kyoko's grave." She thought about Tohru's mother, of the night her sensitivity to the electric signals had led them to her grave, how they'd found Tohru there, weeping.

"I don't like it any more than you do," Arisa said. "But I don't know what we can do about it. Personally, I think Yuki knows more than he's telling." She looked over at the boy as she spoke, her expression unreadable.

"You may be right," Hana replied. "I feel strange signals coming from him. The electrical signals tell me that he is undergoing a great deal of turmoil. It's even worse than our last meeting."

"I've half a mind to follow him around until I figure out where they've got her," Arisa said, her fist clenching her sandwich. "He's bound to visit her sometime."

"I'm just as worried about Tohru as you are," Hana said. "I'm sure that if he thought he could tell us he would."

Arisa shook her head. "I don't know about that. All the same, I'm gonna keep an eye on him." She looked down at her sandwich in surprise, feeling the soft filling through her fingers. She looked at Yuki, then back to her sandwich. "Ugh," she said in response to her mangled food.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Grandpa Hatori," Kisa said, trying to get Hari's attention, pulling on his coat as he headed from the main room of his clinic. He turned around and knelt to her eye level.

"Kisa," he said with warmth, but a small amount of surprise. "Did you scrape another knee?"

She shook her head. "No, you said I could see Sissy today," she reminded him.

He thought about yesterday. "So I did, but I'm afraid Tohru is sleeping right now," he apologized. "I'm not sure when she'll wake up."

She looked at him with pleading eyes. "Can't I please see her, Grandpa Hatori? Just for a little while?"

He smiled at her and stood up. "All right, but only for a little while." He held out his hand and she took it, leading her back to Tohru's, and now Kyo's room.

She looked around the room with large eyes. Tohru was in the bed she remembered but there was now another bed with Kyo in it. "Is Kyo sick too," she asked.

"Yes," Hari answered. "You should put this on," he said and handed her a facemask. "We wouldn't want you to get sick too." He helped her tie it, then let her go over to Tohru's bed, lifting her gently up to sit next to Tohru.

She looked at her sleeping sissy. "Why does she have a tube coming out her nose," she asked.

"It's to help her breathe," Hari explained. "Remember yesterday?" Kisa nodded. "She was having trouble breathing so we had to give her something to breathe through."

Kisa blinked her eyes, shyly touching Tohru's hand. "If I get that sick will I have to have a tube to help me breathe too?"

Hari smiled again, touched by Kisa's sincerity. "I hope not," he said. "Which is why you get to wear a mask, so that you don't get that sick."  
"Okay," she agreed and slid off the bed. "We should let her sleep, huh?"

He couldn't help but laugh a little. "Yes, we should let her sleep." He took her hand again as she slipped it into his and walked her to the front door where she took off the mask and slowly handed it back to him.

"Can I come back tomorrow? Do you think she'll be awake," she asked.

"I don't know," he replied truthfully. "Tohru's very sick, but we'll see."

Kisa smiled and turned to run off. He watched her go, his smile sliding away. He sighed. What would he tell her if Tohru never did wake up?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Arisa followed Yuki after school, doing her best to stay out of his line of sight. She was frustrated that it had taken him so long. He first had to stop and help a lower-classman find her things because she'd lost them. Then he had to stop and talk with one of the teachers. It was almost as if he had nothing better to do than to help other people like that, not that helping others was bad, but Tohru was out there and he'd better get going so she could find her.

Finally, after what had seemed like an eternity, he started away from the school, and when he didn't head towards home, she guessed he was going somewhere more interesting than just the grocery store. He walked with determination and she wanted to know where he was going. If it had anything to do with Tohru, she was going to find out.

The route he was taking was not one she usually took, but at least the territory was familiar. They were somewhere near Hana's house, she was sure, though he seemed to be heading for the more wealthy side. What would he be doing over here? There were no private clinics or hospitals over here, at least not for a mile or two. Surely he wouldn't walk all that way when he could get a cab or something.

He took a short cut through the train terminal and she lost sight of him among the adults coming and going. She cursed softly. "Where are you?"

She wandered around for a while, asking every now and again if anyone had seen a boy fitting his description but most were unwilling to help or didn't have an answer. Perhaps they really hadn't seen him, but she wasn't willing to accept that for an answer. They were just all working against her, keeping her away from Tohru. She headed back to the station, hoping to pick up on the trail there.

But even after walking up and down the terminal, she didn't come across any clues. There had to be a better way of following him, short of forcing him to take her to Tohru that is.

"You can't avoid me forever," she said under her breath with a growl as she sat down on one of the benches, not entirely willing to admit defeat, this time. "I'm going to find out, one way or another," she vowed, then decided to head home. She likely wouldn't be able to find him after this, not today. Even she knew that.

Yuki bowed respectfully when Hari answered the door. "How's Miss Honda," he asked before Hari could say a word.

"She's sleeping," Hari replied. "Kyo's here as well," he added when Yuki didn't ask, though it wasn't entirely surprising.

Yuki closed his eyes a moment, controlling his emotions. "I know. Shigure told me."

Hari nodded. "Come in." He handed the younger boy a facemask before they went into the back room, which he put on after he'd been told it was only a temporary precaution.

Yuki went almost immediately to Tohru's side, looking at her still face as she slept. He was silent for a while, tracing her outline in his mind. "I feel as though this were, in a way, my fault," he confessed.

Hari leaned against the doorway. "Oh? Why would you say that?"

Yuki shook his head. 'I should have seen that there was something wrong sooner. There was just so much going on, what with Akito and Kyo..." he trailed off.

"We only show people what we want them to see," Hatori said. "We all know that Tohru doesn't like people to worry."

Yuki clenched his fist. "I know, but I should have done something! I should have at least said more than what I did. I caught her the night before, coughing in the kitchen, but she insisted it was just a cold and that she'd go right to bed." He glanced at Kyo, who was also sleeping, and his mouth twitched. Part of him wanted to blame it on him. "I never dreamed it could be something this bad."

The door suddenly flew open. "Kyo! Darling! I'm here!" Kagura Sohma burst into the room, her cat-shaped backpack swaying with her haste. Hari fought for balance as she knocked into him and kept going until she was at Kyo's bedside. "Oh Kyo! Wake up!" She grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him, making him sit up as she did.

"Huh...wha?" Kyo mumbled as she squeezed him around the middle in a fierce hug. He tried to push her arms off of him but was too weak to do much about it, even though he gave a valiant go of it, struggling with what strength he did have.

"I'm so sorry you're sick! Kisa told me and I just had to come over," Kagura was practically yelling. "Oh Kyo! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?!"

He was flung around with her expressions of concern and outrage as she shook him. He blinked, his eyes dizzy and his face rather more pale. "Can you.... let go..." he panted. "Can't... breathe...."

She dropped him and he flopped back against the pillows. "I'm so sorry! Speak to me love! Tell me! Where does it hurt?"

"I think I'm going to be sick," Kyo warned and turned away, hunched in the middle as he coughed.

Yuki and Hari both seemed to wake up at this moment. "I think I may have to put a ban on the sick room," Hari said with a bit of annoyance. "Kagura," he said sharply and handed her a mask. "Next time, knock before you burst in. Kyo might still be contagious."

She took the mask with a questioning expression, then saw Yuki in the room with his own mask on. "Oh," she said and put the mask on.

Kyo continued to cough for a while, then moaned as he rolled back over. "What... do you think... you were trying to do... woman," he asked with not quite a growl; he wasn't up to anything more than that. "You trying to kill me or something?"

"No," Kagura said through her mask. Several tears leaked from the corner of her eyes. She looked away, brushing them aside and saw Tohru behind Yuki. "Is...Tohru sick too?"

"Yes," Hari answered. "You might want to try and remember that and keep your outbursts to a minimum."

She looked embarrassed and turned her head away. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "I didn't mean... It's just that when I heard that Kyo was sick, I was so worried that I just had to check on him," she said quickly.

Yuki looked mildly amused, hiding his concern behind his folded arms. So it was true that Kyo was sick, really sick. He'd wondered.

Hari wondered who else would barge in, wondering if he should put up a public notice to keep visitors, and outbursts, at the lowest level possible. He could understand having a few visitors here and there, but things were starting to get a little more than out of hand. He had half a mind to shoo everyone out right then but didn't, though he would insist that they kept away for a few days. At least Kyo hadn't made good on his declaration of throwing up.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yuki returned home an hour later. He felt weary himself, though he was fairly certain that he hadn't caught the strep yet. Hari had insisted on checking him over, to be on the safe side. The fact that he hadn't had as much contact with Tohru lately was probably why he wasn't sick, but then there was still always the possibility of something happening. Hari had reminded him to let him know the moment he felt the least bit ill. And after watching Kyo moaning and hacking up a lung, he couldn't blame Hari for being so serious about it.

He deposited his books in his room and went in search of something to eat. Shigure was snacking on some jelly buns he'd picked up at the store, talking on the phone in a very dramatic tone.

"Oh Mii, I don't know if I can do any writing tonight," he was saying. He pretended to cough. "I seem to have come down with something. We might have to put off the deadline a few days until I recover." He pretended to cough again. "I feel so weak. The room is spinning."

Yuki rolled his eyes. How very like Shigure. He opened the fridge and saw the open carton of chow mien, chopsticks still sticking out of it from when Kyo had put it back in the fridge. He clenched his fist, angrily taking the carton out and throwing it away with disgust.

Shigure hung up the phone. He had a pleased expression on his face. "Ah, Yuki, you're home," he said in a happy way that seemed to get under Yuki's skin. "How was school?"

Yuki tapped his fingers on the counter, counting back from ten before he answered. "I saw Kagura at Hatori's today," he finally said. "She nearly killed Kyo."

"Oh really," Shigure answered with surprise. "Hari didn't mention that."

"Well, it would serve him right," Yuki added. The carton stuck out of the already overflowing garbage can and he tried to ignore it. Things seemed to rapidly be getting worse without worrying about that.

Shigure tisked at him, wagging a finger as he did so. "Really, Yuki. Can't you let him be, even when he's sick? After all, he's not purposely trying to annoy you, at least not at the moment." He leaned forward, batting his eyes. "And how's Tohru?"

Yuki turned around. "Miss Honda? She's still asleep. It's strange that she'd sleep so long."

"Yes, isn't it," Shigure agreed. "But Hari does know what he's doing and he did say he'd put her on heavy medication. I just wish I'd made it down there to see her today. But I had to work on my manuscript." He looked guiltily towards his office.

Yuki rolled his eyes, recalling the side of the conversation he'd heard between Shigure and his editor. "I wouldn't suggest going to see her tomorrow," he said. "Hari practically put a ban up because things got out of hand today. I guess there were just too many visitors."

Shigure smiled proudly. "I'm not surprised. Our dear Tohru is quite the popular young lady. And Kyo's becoming quite the popular young man."

"I'm going upstairs," Yuki said stiffly and left the room. Before I gag.


	5. Chapter 5

A day or two passed without too much happening, other than Momiji trying to visit Tohru and being turned away. He had a fit but Hari was firm, though he wasn't sure how long he could keep everyone away, but a few days of respite, minus Akito's own troubles, was time well bought. Yuki stayed away, as did Shigure. And Kagura had to be persuaded to stay away. Arisa was thwarted in her attempts to follow Yuki because he didn't go anywhere except to school and home, and perhaps the market.

"You'd think he'd actually go somewhere exciting," she complained to Hana. "Can't he be even the least bit devious? It's downright boring following him around." She threw a handful of sand back to the ground, her chin resting on her other hand as she watched some kids playing near her at the public park.

"Then stop following him," Hana replied. She turned to face her friend, her fingers tracing over the edging around the sand box they sat near. "If it has become such a bother, don't do it."

Arisa gave her a look. "I'm not giving up," she said. "Far from it. He'll go back sometime and when he does, I'll be waiting. He can't keep away forever. It's not like him."

"Maybe you're right," Hana replied. "But are you sure it will be worth the effort?"

Arisa snorted. "Of course it will be. How could you ask something like that? The moment I find out where they're keeping her, I'm gonna bust her out."

"She's not a prisoner," Hana tried to reason. "And if she is as sick as Yuki says, it would be wiser to let her stay where she is."

Arisa rolled her eyes. "You know I wouldn't really do something like that. I just want to see her, make sure she's okay. It's been like a week. Whatever she's got, it has to be pretty bad for her to be out so long."

Hana nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, you're right. It would have to be something terrible, wouldn't it?" She looked towards the sky. "I only hope she will soon recover."

"You and me both," Arisa added.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It started to rain in the early part of the afternoon, cold autumn rain. Once again, Kyo didn't complain when Hari injected him with the medication, the weather affecting him as well as his illness. He'd simply stuck his arm out and looked over at Tohru while Hari had filled the needle. There was no use in fighting it. Besides, it had almost become routine over the past few days, about four times a day now. It was easier to focus his worry on her while Hari injected the stuff into his bloodstream, though it didn't exactly make it hurt any less. And as far as he knew, she still hadn't really woken up, nothing more than moaning and turning over.

"How sick is she, really," he asked Hari as he lay back against the pillows. It seemed that his body felt too heavy to do much but lay down lately. For all he knew he spent too much energy tossing and turning in the night. And though his dreams weren't nightmares, they weren't pleasant ones, though he never seemed able to remember them.

Hatori turned to look at Tohru as he took care of the needle. "Sick enough," he said heavily.

Kyo was sure he was hiding something and he might have pressed the issue but something caught the corner of his eye. He tried to sit up again in surprise, instead of leaning against the small stack of pillows under his head, but he didn't have the strength to keep up for long. If he'd had, he would have bowed or something. "Master? What... what're you doing here?"

Kazuma Sohma, Kyo's karate master, stood in the doorway, a slight smile on his face. "Good morning, Hatori," he greeting the older of the two. "Hello Kyo. I heard you were ill." He looked over his all but adopted son with concern, even if that emotion didn't make it to his face. He noticed that Hari had put him on a monitor, the wires trailing out from under his t-shirt.

"Who...?" Kyo slumped back against the pillows, the strong medication starting to kick in. "It's good to see you."

"Kagura told me. She was very distracted in her lessons. Believe it or not, she kept hitting everything off center. I almost had to force a confession out of her to save myself from more bruises," Kazuma replied. "I would have come sooner but I had obligations to attend to."

Kyo tried to picture Kagura even getting through Kazuma's guard to give him bruises, and couldn't make it work, but then she definitely had a hay day every time she decided to beat him up. He definitely couldn't block her advances, but then Kazuma was a master and Kyo.... Well, he was still learning, after all, though even thinking about being beat up by Kagura was annoying.

Kazuma looked towards the other bed when Kyo didn't seem to respond to his comments. "I see you're not alone."

"Nah," Kyo tried to sound light but only succeeded in sounding tired. "She was here first." He started coughing and turned away until he could stop.

"You should sleep," Hari advised, coming back over after having checked on Tohru and giving her her own dose of medication.

"Can't help... but sleep," Kyo tried to growl. "What all you got in that stuff anyway?" He nodded at Hari's lab coat pocket. "Always makes me feel so.... woozy."

"Hatori's right," Kazuma added. "You need your rest. I'm not going anywhere."

"But... Master," Kyo started and stopped at the look in Kazuma's eyes. He didn't know if he'd be able to help it anyway. His eyelids were already heavy and drooping.

"Good night, Kyo," Kazuma said and pulled the blankets up to his chin, gently tucking him in. "Sleep well. I'll be right here when you wake." He turned to Hatori. "I was wondering if I might have a word."

"Of course." Hari escorted him out of the room, closing the door until only a slit remained. He'd turned off the overhead light to encourage Kyo to sleep but Kyo tried to stay conscious anyway, at least enough to hear what they were talking about. He had a feeling it was important. And if anyone had noticed, it might have looked like two cat ears had appeared on his head, straining to listen as he tried to hang on to consciousness by thinking about how mad it made him every time Kagura beat him up.

Kazuma rubbed his forehead, letting his guard down a bit now that he and Hatori were alone. "I was hoping that Kagura was over-exaggerating but Kyo really doesn't look like he's doing well. Tell me the truth, how bad is he?" He thought about his pale complexion, the two small points of red high on his cheekbones. And his eyes had definitely been feverish. Plus, Hari wouldn't have put him on a monitor if there weren't a need for it.

Hatori leaned against the wall and sighed. "It's not good. I know part of it is the medication and the weather, but it still leaves me concerned. I was hoping we'd beat this in a few days time but it would seem my hopes were a little too high. Strep isn't always predictable, unfortunately. And Akito's visit didn't help matters, though I think things wouldn't have gotten so out of hand if Kyo hadn't vomited on him."

"And Tohru?" Kazuma looked directly into Hatori's eyes. "I heard you and Akito had a confrontation when she was brought here. I need to know." He didn't mention that he'd seen Akito later that day, and the smug expression of almost triumph on his face, though he couldn't entirely say it was all the way smug. He wasn't sure what it meant but he had his suspicions.

Hari took a deep breath and slowly let it out, closing his eyes as he did so. "You know that I don't like admitting my own feelings when I'm dealing with a particularly difficult situation like this. It is not objective as a doctor to do so. I haven't even told Shigure yet but I'm worried."

Kazuma looked at his friend with concern. "Oh, what about?"

He pushed away from the wall and crossed over to his microscope, fiddling with the knobs. "When they found her, before I knew about any of this..." he closed his eyes. He thought about the day he'd first met Tohru, the funny smile on her face, how she'd started to thaw out his cold heart the day he had her come to his house for the first time. He'd tried to protect her then; he didn't know how to now.

"Hatori, what is it?" He put a hand on Hari's shoulder.

"Please don't tell anyone what I'm about to tell you," Hari requested. "It might make things more difficult."

"Of course," Kazuma responded, his eyes betraying his emotions now that he felt less of a need to hide them. He didn't know if his own emotions could compare with the ones he saw crossing Hari's though.

Hari sighed. "Shigure told me, when I arrived that morning, that her temperature was one hundred and five. It's higher than anyone likes to have, high enough to... cause problems."

"What kind of problems?"

Hari wished that this moment hadn't come, wondering if the medication he'd given Kyo had fully taken affect, if he'd fallen asleep. He wondered if there was anyone else around, listening. This was not something he wanted to have "get around". It would definitely complicate things with Shigure and Yuki if they knew, and it was better that Kyo didn't know, at least for now. It would certainly make things worse for him, only so recently having narrowly escaped total disappointment.

"When any living being reaches a certain temperature, it causes damage to the brain," he tried to explain. "One-hundred and six is one of those temperatures that causes permanent brain damage."

Kazuma looked up sharply, understanding kicking in. "And you're afraid—"

"I have no way of knowing just how high her temperature went before they realized she was ill, or for how long, though I doubt she'd have such a fever for long if it did indeed get that high. But there is the chance, even with one degree less, that-"  
"There may be some damage already done," Kazuma finished for him, feeling very uncomfortable.

Hari nodded. "It's usually the memories that end up being damaged. But until she wakes, I can't tell to what extent. If she wakes. It would have been better if we'd caught this sooner. I only hope that we caught Kyo's illness in time."

"Yes," Kazuma agreed. "Let us hope you did."

Kyo strained to hear, catching most of the conversation. And what he heard was terrifying. What if... what if Tohru... what if she lost her memories? What if she didn't remember him? What if she wasn't the same when she woke up? The very idea was horrific to him and he didn't know how to deal with it. Even if she remembered everything else... What if she couldn't remember accepting him, despite his original form? What if....?

His mind grabbed onto the idea and clung to it, the thought sticking like melted tar, tainting his perspective, warping his fears. He wanted to jump out of bed and demand some kind of explanation from Hatori, to force him to find out if it was true, but he was too weak, his mind spiraling downward. Not even his anger could keep him awake much longer.

"Not Tohru," he said in a voice too weak to be heard. "Not Tohru." His eyes wouldn't stay open any longer and he slipped into dreams, but they didn't bring him any comfort.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He was walking down the street with Yuki. They weren't exactly walking together, but then they weren't exactly walking apart either. Both had their schoolbooks in hand.

"They give us too much homework," Kyo complained. "I bet they think we got nothing better to do with our time."

Yuki smiled slightly, laughing under his breath. "You wouldn't have so much if you actually finished it when it was assigned," he answered.

Kyo snorted. "Yeah right. I'm telling ya, they like to torture us." He stopped in mid-stride, looking forward. "Huh?"

There was a girl in front of them, a girl with brown hair that looked a lot like...

"Tohru?" Kyo walked forward and the girl turned around. "Tohru?"

"Oh, hello," Tohru said and looked past Kyo. "Hello Yuki." She smiled her goofy grin, but it left her face when she looked back at Kyo. "Do I know you?"

"It's me," Kyo said, putting a hand up to his collarbone, "Kyo."

"Who..." Tohru asked with confusion. She looked at Yuki and he shrugged.

"Good afternoon, Miss Honda," he said. "I'm glad that you're doing better."

"Oh, yes," Tohru said uncertainly. "Thank your cousin for me. He took good care of me," she added. She looked back at Kyo, definitely a look of... something on her face. Kyo couldn't decide what the look was, but he knew that whatever it was, she didn't remember him.

"Come on! It's me, Kyo," he tried again. "Remember? I'm the cat?" He would have hugged her if he thought it would help but she edged away from him, hiding behind Yuki.

"Your friend is a little strange," she said to him. Kyo tried to walk over to her but she sidled away.

"Stop that, Kyo," Yuki admonished. "You're frightening Miss Honda."

"You... really don't remember me, do you," Kyo asked uncertainly. "But you remember the stupid rat?" His voice was starting to rise. His expression was one of hurt and disbelief. "But you have to remember me, the night of the storm, confronting Akito...?"

"I'm sorry," she said, but still kept Yuki between them, "but I don't know who you are."

"Tell her who I am," Kyo demanded of Yuki. "Tell her what happened!"

Yuki didn't say a word.

Kyo fell to his knees, the world spinning around him, Yuki and Tohru sliding away from him. "Wait! You gotta remember. Please. It's me! Tohru!"

But the world kept tipping, washing away like water down a drain, sucking him in. There were chains coming from that drain, chains that kept him from climbing out. They were wrapped around his chest, making it hard to breathe. He tried to reach out to her, to see if she'd help him, but she wouldn't even look at him.

"Tohru!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He tried to sit up, panting, while sweat poured off him. He couldn't see. Even his cat eyes had betrayed him. "No. Please!" he said again, this time not quite screaming. Why couldn't he reach her? Something was holding him down. He scrabbled at the blankets but couldn't seem to find where they ended or began. He clawed at them anyway, anything to get them off, his nails extended. He was making shreds of them in his panic.

There were also things that felt like wires or strong cords attached to him that he tried to claw off. They were chains, chains around his body, pulling him downward. He severed one of them with a claw, only to set off a high pitched wail that hurt his ears, an alarm. He had to get out of here before anyone came...

He continued to try and break free of his bonds but no matter how much he tried, there were always more holding him down. "No!" A sob chocked out of his mouth, though it sounded more like a gasp for air. There was something wet and kind of sticky on his fingers and down his front. His skin felt like it was on fire. They were torturing him! How could they? All he wanted was to get to Tohru, to...

Heavy footsteps sounded outside the room and the light flicked on. "Ah!" he screamed and flung a hand up to cover his eyes, blinded, then bent over coughing as too much air filled his sensitive lungs. The wailing siren that had deafened him suddenly stopped but he couldn't stop coughing

Strong hands reached out for his arms as the tears stung at his eyes. He couldn't stop them from falling anymore than he could stop coughing. And his coughing sounded rough. It reminded him of a seal. He feebly scratched at the sheets, still trying to get away, but he had only normal fingernails now, not cat claws. He felt like his blankets were strangling him. They smelled strange, with the tang of something metallic.

Another set of footsteps entered the room as the owner of the first pushed the blankets away with one hand. Kyo's wrists were held strongly by the other, held away from the wires and the blankets, away from his burning chest. Would the torture never end? Why didn't they just end it all?

"Here, hold him," a voice said. "We have to keep him from doing any more damage." He couldn't tell whose voice because his own coughing kept him from hearing correctly. If only he'd transform into the cat, he would be able to hear better. But it didn't happen.

His beads jabbed into him from the hand that held his wrists together, almost as if they were mocking him somehow. If he were in his original form, they wouldn't dare lay a hand on him. There was no way he could slip his beads off though.

Another set of hands took over holding him, strong but gentle hands. The owner of those hands sat on the bed next to him and lifted him, holding him firmly upright by his upper arms, making sure they were kept far enough apart that he couldn't do much with his hands. But his body felt like melting putty and he couldn't keep his head up. His back bent over.

"It's all right," he heard another voice say, almost crooning. "It's all right... Kyo. No one is trying to hurt you."

Something cold was pressed against his chest. He'd ripped his shirt to shreds in his attempts to get the blankets and wires off otherwise he might not have felt it. And realizing that his skin was exposed, he shivered, shoulders hunching more as he tried to not gag. The metallic smell was strong in his nostrils.

Someone wiped his chest with something that made it sting even more. He arched his back, trying to keep the stinging cloth away from the skin but it didn't work. He struggled against his captor, trying to break away but the grip they had on him was too strong. His chest was heaving with each breath he took.

"Hold him steady. If we don't get this taken care of it will only make matters worse."

More words came; words from far away as he tried to not focus on the pain, tried to wiggle free. He couldn't understand them but he wanted to, just to know what was going on. There was the sound of ripping as the last bits of his shirt were removed and set aside. They had to cut the collar to get it off. He really struggled when they did that, feeling the cold metal of the scissors next to his neck. It was worse than the blankets. But there was always the hands holding him, now pressing him against their owner's chest, his head resting on those strong shoulders, tilted back so that his breathing passage was more open.

He wanted to open his eyes, see who was holding him, but the light, it was too bright. He felt something being applied to his chest, something almost slimy feeling, then something like cloth being firmly pressed against that as Hatori applied bandages to his gouged skin. Hari thanked his lucky stars that the gouges weren't any deeper than they were or he'd had to apply sutures. There was no way Kyo would have liked that.

"Hopefully that will stop the bleeding," he said as he applied the last strip of tape. "I'll be right back. Just keep holding him and don't let him tear the bandages off."

The hands that had been holding him up reached around him, enfolding him in a hug, arms pinned against his sides, gently rocking him, like his master had when he was a small child, scared by the night's demons. "Shh..." The second voice continued right next to his ear. "You're all right. Hatori's getting something to help you sleep."

Kyo sobbed, his face now buried in his captor's hair. He pushed feebly at the bedding with his bare feet since his arms weren't free to do anything. "Please, just let me go. I didn't do anything. It's not my fault."

"I know. You're all right. I'm here. It's all right."

He felt a sharp prick on his arm. It didn't last long but it left his world melting in streaks, but his chest started to ease, if only ever so slightly. His muscles relaxed as he slumped back. "It's... not my fault." He drifted to sleep in Kazuma's arms, floating on the influence of the drug now in his veins.


	6. Chapter 6

"There must be something else going on," Hatori finally said to Kazuma as he looked into the distance. "Two days ago, he seemed to be improving, if only ever so slightly, but now..."

They were in the main room of his clinic, the room he'd first talked to Tohru in, where he'd tried to convince her to leave the Sohmas, and had in turn had his own heart changed by her. He sat at his desk, Kazuma standing near by

Kazuma watched his friend with concern. Had it only been two days ago that he'd heard from Hari's own mouth the concerns he had about Tohru, and now to find his concerns transferred to Kyo? He wasn't sure what to think on the matter himself, but he had been the one to hold him in the dead of night, hold him and try to smooth away his fears, surprised at how limp his foster son had become because of this illness.

"I had to pump Tohru's lungs yesterday, but I'm sure that I was able to remove most of the mucus," he continued. "Her temperature has gone down a few degrees again. It's even possible that she might wake soon. But Kyo." He played with a paperweight on his desk. "It would seem that as Tohru gets better, Kyo only gets worse. At least his scratches haven't become infected."

"I wish that I could help you more," Kazuma said quietly, thinking about the tears smudging Kyo's face. Even when he'd first taken him in, the boy had rarely cried. What had caused him to do so during the night?

"I appreciate your concern," Hari said. "And any help you might offer will certainly be welcomed. I know that you have your dojo to attend to and have students to worry about as well."

"It's true," came the reply. "But perhaps when I am not teaching, I might be of some assistance."

Hari looked gratefully at Kazuma. "Momiji has been quite helpful with Tohru, for all his fussing over her, now that I've let him in," he said. "It has been helpful to have someone watching over her while I help those I must. Yuki and Shigure, it would seem, took my ban to a longer term. But it would help to have someone to keep an eye on Kyo when I cannot."

Something moved quickly out of sight from the doorways leading outside, something dark colored. Hari looked up with surprise, wondering if he was simply seeing things, or if someone had actually stood there a moment ago, ducking out of sight.

"I do not often see him cry," Kazuma observed, not noticing that Hari's attention was diverted. "What kind of dreams must he be having to cause such fear that he calls out in the night?" He wished he could take all of the pain those tears represented, but he knew he couldn't. And Kyo wasn't awake when he'd visited today so he couldn't ask what they were. He didn't add any thoughts about Kyo's clawing rampage, though he'd agreed that perhaps it would be wise to keep him on a mild sedative so that they didn't have a repeat incident.

He looked up to see Hari looked towards the door, his expression unreadable. "I heard Akito tried to set himself on fire the other day," Kazuma continued, trying to draw his friend out of his thoughts.

"The fool," Hari said. "The servants should have kept a closer eye. It's lucky that I heard him coughing from the garden."

"What was he doing out there?"

Hari shook his head lightly. He thought he'd seen the head of someone pocking back behind one of the screens, just barely in view, shorter hair than a girl's typically, but not as short as some he'd seen. "He was trying to burn a robe, along with some other... personal mementos. Apparently Kyo managed to vomit on the hem of the garment. Being who Akito is, he couldn't stand to have anything so defiled and so he tried to take care of it himself."

Kazuma didn't need to really guess what the personal mementos were that he'd also tried to burn. They all knew he didn't like his mother. "He didn't burn himself, did he?" His eyes were concerned. He knew Akito's temper.

Hari leaned forward, trying to get a better look around the doorframe, if he could. There was a slight bit of rustling coming from over there, as if someone were trying to stealthily walk around, their robe brushing against something else, like the wall. It couldn't be Shigure, could it?

"No, fortunately, though a good case of asphyxiation will hopefully deter him from doing anything so foolish again," he put the paperweight back. "Thankfully it was nothing worse than that. He is definitely back to his... usual self."

"Yes," Kazuma said grimly. "Though I can't help but hope that he will at least learn a bit more caution from this. It would be good for him."

"Indeed." He glanced one last time at the door but decided it wasn't worth investigating. He guessed that whoever had been standing there was likely gone now, though he thought he caught the faint sound of birdsong, the kind that Akito liked to keep around.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Shigure hung up the phone, his expression almost relieved. It was Saturday and Yuki sat waiting to hear what Hatori had to tell his older cousin. "Well, that is rather unexpected," Shigure said as he headed back to the breakfast table.

"What is it," Yuki asked.

"Tohru's doing better," Shigure answered with a slight smile.

"What a relief," Yuki said in response. "Did Hatori say if we could go see her?"

Shigure nodded, his smile broadening, yet not entirely reaching every corner of his face. It looked a little pasted on.

"What else," Yuki asked, realizing that there might have been more than just the news of Tohru.

Shigure's smile faded. "It's Kyo," he finally said, fiddling with his chopsticks. "He's doing worse."

"Serves him right," Yuki said.

Shigure looked up with surprise. "That's no way to talk, you know," he said quietly. "Kyo may have his downfalls but he's still a Sohma."

"The cat."

"He didn't choose it any more than you chose to be the rat," Shigure reminded. "He's been through a lot and deserves some compassion."

"Let Kagura show him compassion," Yuki said under his breath.

Shigure sighed. "Unfortunately, Kagura has taken the ban Hatori placed quite literally. He was surprised that you did too. For my part," and he put a hand to his chest, "I've been far to busy to make it out there."

Yuki snorted.

"No, really. Mii caught me out," Shigure insisted. "I've had to lock myself in my study, writing like mad to keep her happy."

"But Miss Honda is doing better," Yuki inserted.

"Yes, that is the general consensus."

Yuki stood up. "We should go see her."

"Um..." Shigure looked at him, at the food on the table, then back up. "You go ahead," he finally said. "I'll catch up with you after I've had breakfast. You know how I am when I don't get enough to eat. Why, I could just waste away."

Yuki rolled his eyes, trying to imagine Shigure wasting away. It wasn't likely. He strode determinedly out the front door and towards Sohma House.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hatori was leaving the back part of his house when Yuki arrived, his face showing the usual grim expression. Someone had snuck in again during the night, he was sure. The screen to the main room of his clinic had been open, if only partially, but everything was still in place. He'd just finished checking over the lab to make sure, counting down to the last pill. He looked up when he noticed Yuki in front of him. "Good morning Yuki," he said. He hadn't expected him to be so early.

"Good morning," Yuki greeted, his expression hopeful. "Shigure said we might visit Miss Honda today?"

A hint of a smile lifted the corners of Hari's lips. "Yes, though you just missed her. She was awake a moment ago."

"She was awake?" Yuki's eyes gleamed.

"Yes," Hari confirmed, "but she's asleep now."

"Did she say anything?" Yuki didn't know what he hoped for, but any mention of him might be enough to reassure him.

Hari's eyes were amused, guessing what his young cousin was thinking. "Yes, but nothing that would make any sense. She wasn't exactly coherent, unless you know anything about dancing blue radishes."

Yuki looked up quickly, his expression changing to one of surprised confusion. "Dancing blue radishes?"

"Yes. I know it doesn't make a whole lot of sense. But at least now her sleep is one of healing. So long as we keep a close eye, I'm sure she'll be fine."

Yuki sighed with relief, remembering to put a mask on before he entered the room, though Hari mentioned that neither Kyo nor Tohru was contagious anymore. He walked over to Tohru's bed. She did look better this morning. Her face was less pale and her breathing definitely sounded more normal. She still looked ill, though, and when he put a hand on her forehead it was still warmer than it should be.

"Good morning Miss Honda," he said as he sat in the chair. "We've all been so worried about you. Even Kyo." And he looked over to where Kyo's bed was only to see it partially blocked off by a tall screen. It kept him from seeing anything more than Kyo's lower chest and legs under the blankets. Maybe it had been put there for privacy reasons, he thought. He could hear Kyo breathing, like he was snoring lightly and shook his head.

"I see you don't lack for company," he commented. "Though I can't say that Kyo's the best. If I'd known you had woken up, I might have brought your homework for you. You've missed out on a lot. Miss Hanajima and Uotani miss you and send their regards. I guess Miss Uotani thinks I'm hiding you from her but you know it's only for their protection that we keep them away."

Tohru turned her head towards him a bit; as if she were listening to him in her sleep and it heartened him. "Hatori says he thinks you'll be fine," he continued. "It hasn't been as fun to tend the garden without you."

Yuki stopped talking for a moment, just sitting there, hands on his knees, thinking. He took one of Tohru's hands in his, lightly touching the inside of her palm, tracing the creases of her skin.

"No," he heard Kyo say from behind the screen, but his voice was faint. "Please...I didn't..." Then he broke out into mild coughing. Yuki thought his voice sounded strained and wondered at it.

"I'll be right back," he promised Tohru and walked around the screen, after gently setting her hand down. He stopped in surprise.

Kyo was asleep, the blanket clenched in one hand, small beads of sweat standing out on his forehead. He moaned as he rolled over to his side and the coughing eased. But his chest rose and fell as if it took a lot of effort to make it move. It looked like there were a few rust colored stains on the blankets.

"He still carries bruises from where Akito kicked him," Hari said from behind him.

Yuki looked around in surprise, his eyes betraying his emotions. Was it...fear maybe? Hari couldn't tell. Maybe concern, for all that Yuki and Kyo fought each other so much. It would be nice if they'd actually get along more and give up the constant competition, though he could understand it. Those taught to hate from infancy found it hard to break the habit.

"He found out not long after I found him here," he continued when Yuki didn't say anything.

I can't even begin to imagine his rage, Yuki thought. No one deserves that, not even Kyo. He felt ashamed. Sure there was a rivalry between them, but hadn't he started to feel... bad for Kyo?

That night when Master Kazuma took Kyo's beads and forced him to take on his original form he'd been repulsed, but then he'd felt something he didn't remember feeling towards him. Was it pity? He knew how Kyo felt about Tohru. Didn't he feel the same way? Was that why he felt jealous of him? For spending all that time with her when she was first sick?

"I believe that Kyo holds a lot of pain inside," Hari said almost thoughtfully. "He won't let anyone in, not even Tohru. It would not surprise me if he were afraid."

"Afraid of what," Yuki asked.

"If only I knew," Hari replied. "Perhaps that is why he is getting worse. I just don't know."

"Hatori!" Akito's insistent voice rang through the house; for all that it wasn't his loudest voice. "Where are you!?"

Hari turned for a moment, hesitating. One thing for sure, he didn't need Akito coming back to make trouble. "If Akito does not stop complaining over every scratch," he started but checked himself. "Forgive me," he said. "I should not speak so." He offered a small bow and left to see what Akito wanted this time. Perhaps he'd seen something...

Yuki stayed where he was standing, almost as if he'd been rooted to the spot. He's afraid. What did Kyo have to be afraid of? Tohru had already accepted him, despite his original form. Sure Akito hated him, but so long as he was in this state, he really didn't need to worry about that, right? Akito had agreed to let him stay or he wouldn't be here. But then Hatori did say Akito had beaten him.

"No," Kyo moaned again, his body rigid, arms reaching out as if trying to grab something. His lips were cracked. Yuki noticed, for the first time, that Hatori had put him on an I.V. as well as oxygen. The tubing had been hiding under the blanket but now he saw it as Kyo flung his arms up and rolled back towards him. He noticed another monitor had been brought in but wasn't sure why Kyo's practically bare chest was covered with bandages. Had Akito done that too? Yuki sighed. Perhaps Kyo was running from his problems instead of facing them. It would be just like him.


	7. Chapter 7

"No," Kyo moaned again, his body rigid, arms reaching out as if trying to grab something. His lips were cracked. Yuki noticed, for the first time, that Hatori had put him on an I.V. as well as oxygen. The tubing had been hiding under the blanket but now he saw it as Kyo flung his arms up and rolled back towards him. He noticed another monitor had been brought in but wasn't sure why Kyo's practically bare chest was covered with bandages. Had Akito done that too? Yuki sighed. Perhaps Kyo was running from his problems instead of facing them. It would be just like him.

Kyo did run, but not away. He was running, grasping, reaching, hoping he would be able to catch her as she fell. They were at the lake and she had taken a step backwards, towards the edge of a drop. She'd overbalanced and started to fall. He had to catch her before she hit her head or something on the rocks below. If she hit, it would hurt her, hurt her badly.

"Hey, watch out! Watch out!"

He lunged, trying to gain speed over gravity by almost diving towards her falling form. He was gaining on her, almost where he could hold her; keep her from hitting into the rocks. He reached out his arms to surround her, twisting so that he would turn over so that she'd land on him instead of the ground.

But his arms went through empty space, right through her, as if she didn't really exist.

"No!"

The ground came rushing up at him and he put his hands out in a panic. He would hit the ground, hit the sharp rocks scattered there, and he'd be dashed to pieces, shattered as Tohru's image faded away, her eyes closed as she dreamed in feverish sleep. A voice whispered that she would likely never wake....

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Akito sat in the dark, her arms wrapped around herself, and wondered. She knew that at this moment, if anyone were to come in, other than Hatori, they would see something she did not want them to see. Her weakness as a woman was enough. It was better if they continued to believe she was a man. But to see her here, hunched up on the floor, her eyes staring almost vacantly at the two beds in Hari's back room... No, they must never see it, not even Hari. Not even Shigure.

She pulled her robes more securely around herself, her chin resting on her knees. When's she'd heard about Tohru's condition, and Hari's fears for her memory, she'd practically laughed in his face, contempt and scorn masking part of her true feelings. Tohru was a threat, it was true, but she didn't really wish her ill. She just didn't want her in the role they'd put her, but Shigure had been right about some things. She hoped something could come of this.

Her gaze switched to Kyo. He was sleeping, always sleeping it seemed, when she came and sat there during the night. She'd almost been caught when he'd called out in his sleep, trying to claw the bedding away from himself in panic, but she'd slipped out just in time, before anyone had found out. She wondered what things she could have learned from that and had decided to eavesdrop on Hatori and Kazuma later on while Hari told him his concerns.

She hadn't exactly appreciated Hari calling her foolish over burning her robe, and for burning some of her mother's things. She didn't care if her mother noticed whether they were missing or not. But she knew that burning them, without help, was pretty stupid. Having to stay in bed for a few days, trying to clear her lungs of the smoke hadn't been fun.

She thought he'd seen her, standing at the door, and had ducked quickly out of sight. When she'd looked again, she saw him trying to peer around the frame. It had been a dangerous game. She didn't want them to know she was there. She could have easily just waltzed in and demanded some explanation, pretending she'd been walking up the path or something, but she couldn't pull herself to do that, just as she couldn't make herself tell anyone that she sat in the room at night, watching them when no one was there.

Tohru mumbled something in her sleep and Akito lifted her head, straining to hear. Tohru's words to her, back when she'd come and actually confronted her, after Kyo's transformation... had it only been a few weeks ago? She couldn't forget what Tohru had said to her. You're alive. She'd been so upset by everything, so mad. But the words she'd spoken to her had hit a small space between the hollow of her heart. Maybe that was why she was really here.

"I can't..." Tohru said in her sleep. "They keep running away."

Akito slowly got to her feet and walked over to the bedside, looking down on her. Shadows played across both their faces. In the background was the steady beeping of a heart monitor. "Who's running," Akito asked quietly.

"Dance with me," Tohru mumbled. "I want to feel the wind against my skin, to feel alive." She rolled over slightly, her eyes opening.

Akito took a quick step back, moving back into the shadows.

"Mom? Is that you?"

She felt something wet run down her cheek and almost angrily brushed it away. Why was she so weak? She turned and fled the room, not even bothering to close the door behind her, afraid of what she might read in Tohru's eyes if she looked.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Monday came without too much happening in-between. Tohru remained mostly asleep, waking every now and again but remaining incoherent during the few moments her eyes were open. Yuki worried but Hatori made no comments, other than that he wasn't surprised. It was too soon to tell much anyway. He didn't mention that he'd found the door, once again, ajar in the morning.

And Kyo did not get any better, never quite waking up himself, mumbling every now and again things that no one could understand. Hari increased his medication to try and combat the disease's affect on him but that had no affect. He hesitated to increase it any higher, not even sure if that was the real reason behind his condition. He wondered what else could go wrong.

Yuki sighed in almost relief as he picked up the last of his schoolbooks before heading out. There had been another student council meeting, and though he'd been the one to call it, he'd really not wanted to be there. Things had been too quiet without Kyo and Tohru there. And he often found Shigure unbearable to be around. Perhaps that was why he'd called the meeting, to get away from the silence.

"Hey," Hatsuharu Sohma called out to him as he left the school building. Most of his cousins just called him Haru, or Black Haru when his temper flared. Those were the times they definitely tried to avoid his wrath. He was a year younger than Yuki and Kyo but made up for that difference with his personality. "Going to Hari's today?"

Yuki stopped for Haru to catch up to him, noting that he still had his piercings, his hair still the same cut, allowing his black hair at the nape of his neck to show through the white on top. He and Haru usually got along, so long as he didn't go black. Haru and Kyo on the other hand? That was definitely another story. He knew that he didn't despise Kyo, but they both sure fought a lot.

"Good afternoon, Haru," Yuki greeting. "Did you need something?"

"Yeah," Haru replied, swinging into step beside his older cousin. The long tails of his jacket flared out behind him as they walked. "I heard that Tohru's sick."

"Ah," Yuki said with understanding. Haru and Tohru weren't exactly close but they did get along. He wasn't sure, but he believed that Haru respected her. He remembered the story of how Haru had made Tohru turn him into the cow so that they could get him home after his asthma flared up. "I'm actually headed to Hatori's right now," he answered. "You're more than welcome to come along."

Arisa had been hiding behind the corner of the school, listening. And if she knew anything, she was fairly sure that Yuki and Haru were headed to see Tohru. After all, hadn't they mentioned her name? This was definitely her lucky day. Hana had gone home half an hour ago, tired of waiting with her in a pointless endeavor, but now here was Arisa's chance to prove her wrong. Once she was sure that Yuki and Haru had a good head start, she followed after. With luck, she'd be able to keep a better eye on them. It was easier to keep track of someone with black and white hair than someone with just gray-ish hair.

"So Kyo's sick too," Haru said evenly. "Serves him right. He keeps avoiding me."

Yuki shook his head as they continued walking. He didn't notice the worried expression on Haru's face, probably because he quickly hid it. They were heading through the train terminal now. It seemed that Haru couldn't or wouldn't stop talking, though he actually only spoke as much as he needed to keep conversation going. But then Yuki wasn't entirely paying attention.

He felt like something was creeping up behind him. He'd felt that way the entire train ride they took to save time. And he continued to feel it when they got off the train.

"Hey, Yuki," Haru interrupted his thoughts. "You awake?"

Yuki stopped to look behind them and thought he saw a streak of blond hair move quickly behind a pillar but wasn't sure. Maybe he was being paranoid. "Of course," he said. "I just thought I saw someone following us."

Haru took a second to look behind them as well. "Hard to tell with so many people, don't you think?"

"You're right," Yuki said and continued to walk, heading away from the station. Sohma House wasn't too much further but he went down a different street all the same. Something said he had to be careful.

Haru just shrugged at the change from the usual route. If Yuki wanted to be antsy, that was fine with him.

Arisa quickly ducked behind a pillar as she saw Yuki glance back her way. She held her breath, as if doing so would keep him from seeing her. She hoped he hadn't, but then one could never tell. She counted to ten before peaking back to where they'd been standing and saw they'd started off again. She quickly moved to catch up, weaving around the various pedestrians and workers, trying to keep out of sight while keeping them in sight.

They were still three blocks from Sohma House when Yuki stopped again. "This isn't right," he said.

"What," Haru asked, becoming annoyed. Black Haru was on the verge of coming out soon, he could tell.

"I just saw someone with blonde hair duck behind that brick wall," he answered. "I'm sure it's the same person I saw at the train station."

"You're imagining things," Haru said.

"No," Yuki said and headed back towards the corner, walking steadily but quietly. Haru followed him, shaking his head. Before too long, Yuki'd be jumping at shadows.

Arisa pressed her back against the brick wall that made the corner. She wasn't sure if they'd seen her but Yuki looking back twice was definitely a bad thing. The instincts from her Yankee days told her to do one of two things, get out of there fast, or get ready to face off. She decided to get ready for confrontation. Yuki had danced around her and Hana long enough. It was time for the truth. She clenched her fists and turned the corner.

She ran smack into Yuki, her arms going around him like a snare.

A cloud of smoke seemed to appear out of no where, like a magician's smoke to hide a cleverly pulled off trick, and Yuki was gone.

Arisa stood in shock. Slowly, she looked down and saw Yuki's clothing sitting in front of her, as if Yuki himself had suddenly vanished, except that there was a rat standing on top of them. "What the-" she started, almost yelling, when a fist made contact with her head and she went down, unconscious.

The rat put its small hands up to its face and shook its head. "Haru," Yuki's voice came from its mouth. Haru stood to one side, his fist still clenched from punching her. 'This is terrible," Yuki, the rat, said.

"What did you want me to do," Haru said angrily. "She knows." He looked around quickly to see if anyone else had seen but the street was deserted and the wall kept anyone from the houses behind it from seeing.

"Now what," Yuki asked. "You can't carry her and I certainly can't. And we can't take her to Hatori's. Akito would see and then Miss Honda's memory would be erased as well."

Haru grabbed Arisa by her shoes and started dragging her towards a small alley.

"What are you doing," Yuki asked almost horrified.

"Got any better ideas," Haru asked through gritted teeth as he pulled Arisa into the alley. Yuki shook his head, a pitiful sight to be sure, and scampered over to the alleyway. Haru went back for his clothes and put them next to Arisa. "Wait here. We can't have people seeing you running around, especially if you transform back. If she wakes up before you transform, bite her."

"What are you going to do," Yuki asked.

"Get Hatori. He'll know what to do," Haru replied.

"Don't mention anything about what happened," Yuki said. "At least as little as possible. If Akito hears of this, he'll go into a rage and have Hari erase everyone's memories."

Haru nodded, then headed off to Sohma House, walking fast, but trying not to look like he was hurrying.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hatori was bending over his microscope when Hatsuharu burst into the room, only slightly out of breath. Hari looked up wearily, wondering if he was facing Black Haru or the other one. "Well," he asked, trying to be patient.

"We need you," Haru said quickly. "Yuki had a bit of an accident and... well, we need you to come take care of it."

Hari raised his eyebrows. "Did he hurt himself?"

Haru smiled grimly through his teeth, sucking in air. "You might say that." He bounced on his feet anxiously. If only he could just say outright what had happened, it would save time, but Yuki had been right. "He's a few blocks away. I wouldn't ask except it's important," he added.

Hatori looked at Haru's face, noting that he seemed overly stressed about whatever had happened. "All right," he said finally and grabbed his bag. "Let's go." He just hoped it wasn't anything too serious.

It didn't take long to reach Yuki and Arisa. Haru had probably been gone ten or fifteen minutes by the time he'd led Hari to them.

Hari looked questioningly at Yuki, who had transformed back into his human form, and had redressed. Arisa was still out cold, thankfully. "Mind telling me what's going on," he said as he assessed the situation. He'd thought he'd see something totally different, blood or something.

Between the two of them, Yuki and Haru told him what had happened, Hari listening patiently.

"So you knocked her out to keep her from finding anything else out," Hari finished for them. He sighed deeply and checked Arisa over to make sure she hadn't suffered a concussion or something. "You were right to find me before Akito found out about this," he commented while checking Arisa's eyes with a penlight. "He doesn't need his hopes brought up any higher."

Yuki and Haru looked at each other questioningly but Hari didn't offer any further explanation.

"At least there wasn't much damage done," Hari said gruffly, though whether he was talking about their secret or about Arisa being hit, neither Yuki nor Haru was sure. "Here," he said, and instructed them to help prop her against the wall so that she was, more or less, sitting up right. "Make sure no one is watching," he commanded once they were done. Both Yuki and Haru went up either side of the alley to make sure no one was around.

Hari placed his hand over Arisa's eyes and bowed his head. If she'd been awake, Arisa might have fainted at that moment as Hari erased the memory of seeing Yuki transforming, hoping that she might come up with her own explanation for the small gap, such as running into something. Either way, he wasn't about to move her once he was done.

Yuki and Haru returned at about the same time, reporting that all was clear. By that time, Hari was done, leaning her a little more comfortably against the wall. He closed his bag with a snap and stood up. "At least that takes care of that," he said quietly. "Let's go."

Haru immediately followed after him but Yuki stared at Arisa. "Come on, Yuki," Hari commanded. "It's best to let her wake here. If we try to move her we risk more altercations."

Yuki nodded slightly and turned away, hoping that if Tohru ever found out about this, she'd understand. He didn't want to leave Arisa there but he really didn't have much choice at the moment. He obediently followed after Haru and Hari. But he knew that unless Hari had gone deeply enough, she would still remember enough of the route that she'd eventually find her way to Sohma House one way or another. He just hoped that she didn't connect the two names, his last and the name of the place, together, or think to wonder if it had anything to do with Tohru.


	8. Chapter 8

Arisa woke with a bad headache. It was starting to get dark outside and she didn't recognize where she was. She put a hand to her head and moaned as she stood up. She felt like she'd been hit by a hammer. She looked around and saw that she was in a small alley. Groggily, she made her way to the nearest end and looked around. She wasn't as familiar with this part of town, and how she'd gotten there was a bit of a mystery to her.

She stumbled out into the open, one hand to her face, and started trying to retrace her steps, though she wasn't sure where she'd been before she'd gotten here. She remembered that she'd been following Yuki and his cousin Haru but couldn't think beyond that. It was almost as if a brick wall had been placed over that amount of time, or like someone had ripped it away from her, even though it felt like such a short period of time.

She headed north, hoping that led to a main street. After a while she found herself in an area she was more familiar with. Somewhere nearby was Hana's house and she decided to make her way there.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Thank you, Hatori," Yuki said as they entered Hari's house. He wasn't sure if he was embarrassed, felt sad or angry, or what. The situation itself had definitely been interesting and he was only glad it had been resolved so quickly. Now if only everything else could work out as well.

"I'm just glad it was nothing worse," Hari said, leading them back to the lab. "The way Hatsuharu came bursting in, I would have thought something serious had happened." He didn't mention his own thoughts on the matter, though his voice hinted at irony. Erasing peoples' memories did come with a price. He tried to not think about Kana.

Haru laughed a bit sheepishly. At least he hadn't gone black, though it had probably been a near thing. "If I could have explained..."

Hari held up a hand. "No need. What's done is done. I only hope she won't try following you again."

"I can't make any guarantees for her," Yuki responded. "Miss Uotani is a very persistent girl."

"You're telling me?" Haru rolled his eyes.

"You didn't have to hit her that hard," Yuki admonished.

"What would you prefer I did, let her run around, screaming?" Haru clenched his fist. "Let her know the family secret, curse and all?"

"Now boys," Hari interrupted. "There are people here who are trying to sleep."

Yuki looked at the ground a bit shamefaced. Haru backed down.

"That's more like it." Hari returned to his microscope and slides.

"What's that for," Haru asked, nodding at the slides.

Hari peered into the microscope, turning the knobs. "I'm trying to figure out why Kyo isn't getting better," he replied. "His fever has gone up to a hundred and three."

Yuki poked his head into the back room. Tohru was sleeping relatively peacefully. If he hadn't known better, he would have thought she'd just gone to bed or lain down for a nap. The chair that had been near her bed had moved and was now sitting partially behind the screen hiding Kyo's bed. Someone was sitting in it. He couldn't see who. "Who's with Kyo," he asked.

"Kagura," came the reply. "She was here when Haru came in or I wouldn't have dropped everything when I did. She's been quite helpful, sitting with him when I can't, at least so long as she is not at school or needed elsewhere. And occasionally Kazuma has come to sit with him while I attend to Akito."

"Kazuma?" Haru looked up, his spiked hair almost crackling. It wasn't so much that Kazuma had come but that he'd come to see Kyo. Granted they did have a father/son relationship, but still. His muscles tensed as he thought about Kyo, but it wasn't very fair to beat him up if he wasn't feeling well. Perhaps Black Haru was still lurking in the corners of his mind. He forced himself to relax.

"Yes," Hari said, not noticing the struggle Haru was going through as he examined another slide. "And occasionally Kisa and Momiji visit Tohru. I haven't seen Shigure, though," he said and looked up. "Not since Saturday."

Yuki laughed lightly. "That's likely because his editor caught him pretending to be sick," he explained. "She's practically camped out on the front lawn to make sure he's writing."

"Yes, if anyone were to milk this situation, it would be him, wouldn't it," Hari said with little humor.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hana answered the door, looking up in surprise when she saw Arisa, a bruise forming near her right eye. She looked like she'd been in a fight. "What happened," Hana asked as she ushered her inside. She found her friend a bag of ice to put on her eye. They both settled into her room before they really began talking.

Arisa tried to explain what had happened but fell short when she came to the point where Yuki had seen her the first time at the train station. "I don't know what happened after that," she confessed.

Hana closed her eyes, feeling Arisa's aura almost screaming at her. "You are emitted some very strange electrical signals," she said. "They're not necessarily coming from you but off you, like spider silk stuck to the hands." But if her sensitivity told her anything else, she didn't say.

Arisa shook her head slowly, the bag of ice still against her face. "When I find out who did this," she said with heat, "they'll wish they'd never met me."

"You shouldn't think that way," Hana said quietly. She thought the electrical signals were reminiscent of what she felt around those of the Sohma family but she was definitely not going to tell her friend that. She might just go after Yuki and pulverize him, or at least try to.

"Did you find out where Tohru is," she asked.

"No," Arisa said. "Or if I did I don't remember."

It's just as well, Hana said to herself. She felt that if Arisa had found her, things would definitely not be as they were now. She couldn't quite explain what she felt, but she knew it was probably better that she hadn't found her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Shigure woke in the middle of the night, his throat dry. He went to the kitchen for some water, turning on a light or two on his way down. He felt almost as if he had something caught in his throat and had tried to clear it through the evening, ah-hemming here and there as he asked Yuki about his day and about Tohru and Kyo. Yuki hadn't mentioned his run-in with Arisa though.

Shigure poured himself some water and added some lemon to it, wondering if that might make his throat feel less tight. He added some honey when the water turned too tart. It was well after midnight but he couldn't sleep, feeling sure it really had nothing to do with his usual sleeping schedule, or lack thereof. He felt a little achy as well but hadn't mentioned it to Yuki. He'd looked like he'd had a rough day, and for once, Shigure had refrained from adding to it, staying his cheerful self and making jokes.

He drank the honey and lemon laced water and grimaced once he was done with his cup. His throat still felt too dry. He tried clearing it again but that didn't help. He set his cup down in the sink and noted that he should probably do the dishes, or ask Yuki to do them. They were quickly running out of clean ones. The trash needed to be taken out too, spilling out all over the floor. He didn't want to think about it though. Maybe he'd go see Tohru tomorrow, and maybe while he was there he'd mention his throat to Hari.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hari sighed as he removed the thermometer from Shigure's mouth and looked at it. When he'd come in that morning complaining of a sore throat Hari'd been inclined to not believe him, especially after what Yuki said the other day, but a second look had persuaded him to at least try to prove he was right.

"Hmmm," Hari said as he returned the thermometer to its case and checked the throat culture he'd taken. Just like Kyo, Shigure hadn't exactly been thrilled over that process.

"So, will I live," Shigure joked.

"We'll see," Hari said in response and pulled out a notepad, scribbling something on it. "You have strep, early stages, but still nothing to fool around with." He handed the paper over to Shigure who took it with a few rapid blinks.

"A prescription?" He looked at the paper.

"Would you prefer a shot?" Hari asked, raising his eyebrows.

"No, no," Shigure laughed uneasily. "I still remember the last time you gave me one. It's an experience I'd rather not repeat," he said dramatically.

"Take things easy for a few days and we'll see where we go from there," Hari continued, glad he wouldn't have to press his point.

"Can I get a note saying I can't write for a while," Shigure asked, half joking.

Hari gave him a look. "I don't think that will be necessary. Writing shouldn't be too much of a strain. I think you'll be all right." He finished this off with an amused expression. Of course he'd ask for a doctor's note.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yuki sat on the porch, watching the evening sky. He had a lot on his mind. His thoughts wandered to school and to Tohru's friends. Thankfully Arisa acted her normal self, though she did have a black eye. Hana, on the other hand, seemed to have distanced herself more than usual from him, like she knew he needed his space, unlike Arisa who kept asking him when they could see Tohru. He answered truthfully. He didn't know. If he'd been in Arisa's shoes, he was sure he'd feel much the same way she did. And she seemed angry with an imaginary enemy who she couldn't name. This enemy had taken her to task, knocking her out and dropping her off in an alley. He wished they didn't have to keep this whole thing a secret, but he knew why they did. He felt bad about the black eye and would have apologized for Haru if he could but he knew it wasn't wise.

He leaned against one of the supports that helped hold the second floor balcony up. He had one leg up on the deck, the other dangling towards the ground. He rested his right hand on his raised knee. It was a beautiful night. He wished Tohru could be there to enjoy it with him. Shigure had locked himself in his room, complaining of a headache. Yuki didn't know whether or not to believe him, though he'd seen the prescription bottle with Shigure's name on it. So far everyone in the house had gotten sick but him.

He didn't necessarily feel left out, but at the same time he did. It was a confusing emotion for him, but not one that was unfamiliar. He'd often had conflicting emotions running inside him. And as much as he really didn't like Kyo, he felt bad for him. No one deserved to be as sick as he seemed to be. And Yuki was sure he wasn't faking it. Kyo hated feeling or even looking like he was weak.

Yuki sighed. He didn't want to feel like what he was sure Kyo did, useless, afraid. In truth, he felt burdened because he was the only who wasn't. Something inside him wanted to do something to change that, something he wouldn't recognize was there, an almost reckless instinct he'd been able to keep back all these years. It wouldn't win now.

His eyes searched the darkened sky. A star streaked across the heavens and he sighed. It was getting late and he had school in the morning. "Sleep well, Miss Honda," he said to the night sky, perhaps hoping the slight breeze would carry his message to her. He then turned and entered the house, closing the door gently behind him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hari sat next to the low table he used to eat his meals at. He had his head propped up in one hand while his legs were folded under him. Near his left hand was a cup of tea that had gone cold. His hair fell over both eyes, shading them from the overhead light. It was dark outside, somewhere around ten or eleven at night.

The day had been a long one. He didn't know if he'd had a longer one, and he was tired. At least he couldn't readily recall one. Akito had taken up most of the midday with her complaining over this symptom and that. It had taken all of Hatori's reserve to not blow up at her, but at least it wasn't strep.

Akito had admitted to not sleeping well lately. Hari couldn't say he was too surprised. She looked a bit less her usual self, though he wondered if thinking about her as a the girl she was instead of the boy she wished everyone to believe she was might somehow be some kind of mutiny on his part. His worry over Kyo and Tohru was enough without thinking those thoughts. He wouldn't be surprised if Akito knew how this was wearing on him and didn't care, playing this dangerous game of wasting his time, though usually her complaints did have some legitimacy to them. He'd prescribed sleeping pills to help her sleep at night after tirelessly parading around why she wasn't sleeping. He didn't know what else to do.

A soft knock came at the door to his inner sanctum, the private part of his house where he now sat. When he didn't answer, the visitor slid open the door and walked in. Kazuma looked at him, with his head in his hand, eyes closed. A smile tugged at his lips as he watched the hair in front of his face move with his breathing. This whole situation had definitely been hard on him.

Walking quietly, shoes left at the door, Kazuma walked over to the small kitchen and reheated the tea water. Perhaps he would drop a few hints here and there that Hatori wouldn't be able to help Akito if he kept demanding all his time, leaving only his free time to help Kyo and Tohru get well. Akito probably took up so much time because of jealousy, but in the end it would only cost him all that more.

The tea water didn't take too long to heat, and soon he had a sweet brew going. Just breathing in the scent of it was therapeutic. Perhaps it would help Hatori.

Hatori nodded a few times, his senses taking in the sweet aroma and waking his body to a realization that he'd only intended to sit down for a moment. He rubbed at his eyes, then ran his hand through his hair. "Kazuma," he said, realizing he wasn't alone. "I didn't hear you come in." He stretched, trying to seem like he didn't. It was hard to not let his guard down. He looked towards the hall through the open door.

"They're asleep," Kazuma answered his unspoken question. "I checked no more than a few minutes ago. Hari, I'm not a doctor, but it stands to reason that if you don't get some actual sleep, you may find yourself in the same situation they are."

Hari stood with a little effort. His limbs had started to fall asleep while he'd dozed off, but he took the cup Kazuma offered, sipping its fragrant moisture. "No rest for the weary," he said with irony.

"Sleep," Kazuma suggested. "I'll watch them until morning. You won't be of any help to anyone if you don't get your own rest."

Hari nodded, breathing out a long sigh. He was too tired to argue. "Call me if you need anything," he said and headed to his bedroom, cup of tea still in hand.

Kazuma watched him go and shook his head. He had to be very tired to not argue or put up a fight. It didn't help that he was till worried about Tohru. It was too soon yet to tell what kind of damage there may or may not be. She still only woke for short periods of time and didn't seem to recognize anyone around her, nor did her words make sense. But at least her fever had come down, even though it seemed to stubbornly stay at a hundred and two.

Kazuma poured himself a cup of the tea and took it with him to the back room where he sat on the chair he'd moved. He could watch over both better from this perch. The low light didn't reveal too much, but he could listen to them breathe. Kyo's breathing worried him the most. Occasionally filled with coughing, it was a bit raspy. Hari had propped him up with a few extra pillows just that morning, afraid he'd developed pneumonia as well, and not wanting him to chock on the mucus produced by it.

He'd heard that Shigure had come down with the strep as well, though they'd caught it in the early stages. He wondered if Yuki would also catch strep. With all the stress he had to deal with, it wouldn't be surprising.


	9. Chapter 9

The day was glorious. The sun was out; the sky was clear and smelled of fresh earth. The leaves on the trees had mostly changed their greens for the brilliant colors of autumn. The soil was damp underfoot and felt good between the toes. The air was crisp after the rain the day before. It was the kind of day that Tohru loved best, even though her favorite season was spring.

Birds were chirping, the small variety that didn't leave for winter. Their sweet song filled the air as Tohru walked down the tree-lined lane. There were trees for as far as the eye could see. There were a lot of trees to Shigure's house, after all. She sang happily to herself, just walking and enjoying life.

"Oh mom," she said happily, "I wish you could see this." She thought about her mother, an image of her smiling face filling her mind. It had been over a year now since the accident, and it still hurt inside but she didn't often show it. But thinking about it now, wishing her mother was there...

"What's this...? Tohru Honda...? But what are you doing out here? Is something wrong?" It was Akito's voice, speaking to her like a whisper of wind, caressing her skin with poison.

She stopped walking and shivered.

"Aw...how awful.... It serves you right, you know."

But what served her right? "What are you talking about," she wanted to scream. She knelt on the ground, covering her ears with her hands, trying to block the words out. She saw the picture of her mom torn to shreds behind her closed eyelids.

Akito's laughter filled the air and it sounded of triumph. "What do you really know about the Sohmas? Do you think you understand what it means to be cursed? Do you?"

She shook her head, trying to keep the voice from entering her thoughts, but it was no use. "Who are you?!"

"You deserve this pain. But don't think this will be the end of it. I'm going to make you regret you were ever involved with us. I will make you suffer, the way we suffer."

"No," she said in barely a whisper. "No."

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The sky had gone dark, lightning filling the sky. And with the first crack of thunder, the rain came pelting down.

"Hatori!" Momiji called out, fear filling his voice. "Hatori!"

Footsteps came running from the main part of the house as Hari raced into the room, slightly out of breath. His eyes were overly bright with concern. Momiji's tone was one he definitely could not ignore. The young boy pointed at Tohru, his eyes wide with fright.

Tohru's breathing and heart rate had increased significantly and she was tossing and turning, talking incoherently in a voice loud enough to be heard in the next room.

Hari took out his stethoscope and pressed it against her chest, listening to her breathe, pressing her firmly against the bed with the other hand.

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"I don't know what you're talking about," Tohru said in panic, the first coherent thing she'd said since before everything had started. "Leave me alone!"

"Tohru... I... I'm sorry." The voice was gentler than the one she'd heard before. It sounded deeply pained. "I... I thought.... No, I knew... I knew."

She saw a man kneeling in front of her, his head bowed as if he were under a great strain. His dark hair was streaked with rainwater, his robes soaking wet. A small part of her told her that she knew him, but another part tried hard to keep that knowledge from her.

"I wonder what it was that everyone expected of you? Did they really think you would be able to miraculously save us somehow?" The first voice was angry, raw with hatred, or was it pain?

"Please," she sobbed. "Just leave me alone."

"Tohru... Let's end this. End it! I know... I know it's painful, but you can...." The man was still kneeling in front of her. He leaned over, his hair brushing against mud, arms wrapped around his middle like he was trying to keep himself together somehow.

She felt like a little child caught up in a nightmare. She wanted to break free but couldn't.

"Mom!"

"Mom!" Tohru called out. Her voice was filled with pain.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Akito knelt outside the bedroom window, her head bowed. Her hair hid the tear streaks that were running down her face. She didn't care if anyone saw her. It was likely that with Tohru's commotion inside they wouldn't hear her sobs. She was counting on it. And it wasn't exactly likely that anyone would come around to this side of the house.

All of the feelings she'd felt inside when she'd sat in that room, watching both Kyo and Tohru sleep, when Tohru had woken enough to call out, all of those feelings came running back to her. What would it have been like to have a mother like the one Tohru apparently had? One who actually cared, who didn't hate her?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hari looked up sharply when Tohru called out.

Momiji stood to one side, his eyes brimming with tears. "Please, Tohru," he whispered. "We need you. Wake up."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Help me," Tohru called out again. "Mom!"

"You deserve this pain," Akito whispered in her ear, over and over again.

"Tohru, get up," she heard Hana say through the broken record of Akito's voice. "There is somewhere you have to be right now."

Her entire life seemed to flash before her eyes, memories that didn't fit together, shards and fragments of her self. She felt like she was falling to pieces.

She shook her head. "I can't. I don't belong there. I never did."

"You have to go," Hana almost sobbed. "You know you have to. You're the only one who can. You have to remember."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kisa hesitantly looked around the doorjamb. She could hear Tohru calling out and it scared her. "Sissy?"

Hari looked up the moment she spoke. A part of him said to make her leave, but another part of him said no. He grimly considered the situation. It was quite likely that Tohru was undergoing some kind of mental ordeal, perhaps something caused by how high her fever had gotten a week ago. Perhaps it was something else, like what was eating at Kyo. He didn't know, but he did know that love had a more powerful affect, sometimes, then just medicine.

"Come here," he said a bit gruffly to Kisa but she obeyed him without question. "You want to help Tohru?" She nodded, her eyes wide. He lifted her onto the bed. "Hold her. Hug her. Momiji and I can't. She needs to feel that someone who cares is there."

Kisa looked frightened but obediently wrapped her arms around Tohru's chest, snuggling up next to her. "Sissy?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She felt someone's arms around her, holding her, rocking her. "I don't want to remember," she whispered. "Please. Don't make me."

Akito's cruel laughter filled her head. "I will make you suffer."

"No!" She sobbed. She turned to run but stopped.

Kyo was standing there. "I'm not sure why we did it," he said. "It's just that when you're not there, I can't calm down. And because I don't know why, I get more agitated." He was standing out in the sun, the light reflecting off his orange hair, a faint smile on his face. "If you didn't want to leave, you should have said so in the first place."

Had she wanted to leave? She turned again, but only slightly.

"Miss Honda? I hope I got everything. If not, I can always go back and look." It was Yuki. He was holding out two bags to her, two bags with her things in them. From the night when her tent was buried underneath a landslide. He'd gone to all the trouble of digging her things out of the mess, of finding her mother's photograph for her. She'd been so worried about that, about losing the only piece of her mother she had left.

"You got one too, a plumb on your back," Kyo said. "But it's really small, so small you almost can't see it. But I can."

"Kyo," she said weakly, then more strongly. "Kyo." How could she ever want to forget Kyo? Sweet Kyo who had done his best, despite his personality, to accept her and make her feel loved? And what about Yuki? Hadn't he always been there when she needed someone?

"There's somewhere you have to be," she heard Hana say. "Only you can do it. No one else can."

"I don't have your strength," she replied.

"Just be yourself," her mom said. "Just be yourself and you'll be fine."

"I will make you suffer," Akito said.

She was standing on the porch of Hatori's home, staring out at the snow falling from the sky.

Hari turned to face her as she watched the snow fall. "Tell me, what does the snow become when it melts?"

Tohru saw shapes through her closed eyes and it was light. There was no rain. There was no snow. The sun was shining through the window screen, even though it was closed. The overhead light shone on her and she felt the pressure of someone squeezing her around the middle in a tight hug.

"It becomes spring," she said groggily.

Hatori blinked when she spoke. Her voice was stronger than it had been in the last ten minutes. "Excuse me?" he asked.

"When the snow melts, it becomes spring," Tohru said again and opened her eyes, blinking back a few tears, not sure why she was crying. "It always becomes spring."

Hatori blinked rapidly a few times himself, turning away for a moment.

As soon as Kisa heard Tohru speak she released her grip on her. "Sissy?"

Tohru shifted on the bed as Kisa sat up, looking at her expectantly. "Kisa," she said. "What are you doing here?" She looked around the room, saw Hatori, saw Momiji dancing up and down with joy.

"You're awake! Tohru, you're awake!" His boyish enthusiasm was almost exhausting.

She saw the screen with a chair by it, but she couldn't see what was behind it. The angle was all wrong. And she didn't recognize the room she was in. She struggled to sit up but Hatori turned around just at that moment.

"Don't even think about getting up," he said, though he said it more gently than the last time she'd been sick.

She lay back against the pillows. "Where am I?"

"You're at Hatori's," Momiji answered and Kisa bent over to give her another hug.

"We were so worried," Kisa said. "You didn't wake up for days and days."

Tohru blinked a few times, coughing just a little, but it felt nothing like she'd felt those two weeks after... Her muscles tensed noticeably. She remembered Kyo... She remembered running after him, tripping on the wet earth and her world spinning as she lost the contents of her stomach. She remembered Akito.... He'd said he'd make her suffer but she wasn't sure why.

Hari's eyes were a little too bright, but he didn't miss her tense muscles. "What is it," he asked. "What's wrong?" Her breathing had slowed down and so had her heart rate, but it had still given them all a scare, and only Hatori and Kazuma really knew... they and Akito... what her high fever might mean. He had been glad when she'd recognized those around her, but what if... what if she didn't remember?

Her hands trembled and she hid them in the blankets, not sure why she didn't want to say anything. She remembered going to her mother's grave. She remembered Hana and Arisa finding her there. She remembered Hana....

"You have somewhere you need to be. You're the only one..."

She looked up into Hatori's face. "I..." She still felt exhausted. It showed on her face. "I..."

Hari placed a hand on her forehead. "It's all right," he said. "You don't need to strain yourself. You've been through quite an ordeal. Kyo and Yuki, to name a few, have been quite worried about you." He pulled out a thermometer and instructed her to hold it under her tongue. He wasn't entirely sure and needed to make sure of something.

Kisa watched the exchange with closed lips, her eyes wide. Grandpa Hatori could make Sissy better, she was sure. She was just happy to be by her Sissy's side, that she was awake.

Momiji leaned closer, trying to see what all was going on. "What are you doing, Hari," he asked. "Is she going to be okay?"

"Quiet," Hari commanded and took Tohru's wrist in one hand, felt her pulse, checking it against the monitor, feeling how strong it was. After a minute, he took the thermometer from Tohru's mouth and looked at it. He blinked at it a few times, not sure if he trusted what it said, but when it didn't seem inclined to change much, he sighed in relief. "Your fever has broken," he said quietly and Momiji whooped with joy.

"You'll get better now for sure," he said with confidence.

"It will probably take a few days for you to regain your strength," Hatori warned. "We don't want to press things or you might relapse, but I think the danger is past."

"Hurray," Momiji shouted, dancing around. Hatori didn't reprimand him, even though Kyo was still sleeping, caught in whatever dreams held him in their grasp. He didn't think it wise to tell Tohru about him yet. It was best to let her grow a little stronger before she knew. And perhaps at that point he might discover just what she did and did not remember.


	10. Chapter 10

Shigure sat at his desk, struggling over the next line of his story. He wore his reading glasses, pressing one hand against his forehead, hoping for inspiration. He coughed a bit because his throat still felt funny, but then Hari had warned him it wouldn't go away right away. He was still hoping for a doctor's note, but Mii had been getting on his case again and he really had nothing better to do. After all, if he went to see Akito he'd likely only give the strep to her.

He sighed dramatically, but there wasn't anyone around to hear him, not even Mii who had gone off to the publisher with what pages he had managed to write. He didn't know that he could call them his best, but then they went through everything anyway. Sometimes he wondered what the point was. Yuki was still at school. And as far as he knew, both Kyo and Tohru were still not doing too well.

The phone started ringing and he put down his pen, glad for the interruption. He walked to the main room and the phone, picking it up on the fifth ring. "Shigure here," he said tiredly. "Hatori? What are you calling for?"

"A fine question coming from you," Hatori answered from across the line, his voiced its usual gruffness. "I thought you might like to know that Tohru's awake."

"She's awake?" Shigure stood up straight with surprise. "You're sure? You're not having me on now are you, Hari?"

Hatori snorted. "Of course I'm sure. She's been awake for the past half hour. Not only that, but she's coherent. If you want to see her before she goes back to sleep, I suggest you come down right now. And while you're at it, it wouldn't hurt to see how you are doing as well. You have been taking your medication, haven't you?"

Shigure laughed a little nervously.

"Because if you haven't, I have no choice but to give you a shot."

"Of course I've been taking my medicine," Shigure answered quickly. "How could you think otherwise? Why it hurts me to think you don't trust me. Honestly, Hatori."

"Stop bantering and come if you want to see her." And he hung up the phone.

"Well I never," Shigure said, the phone still in his hand, dial tone coming from the receiver. He hung up the handset and went to find his sandals, grabbing a jacket on his way out. He knew Hatori would get after him if he didn't bundle up.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Not too long after, Shigure was getting out of a cab outside Sohma House. "Hello Tohru," he said as he entered the room. "I heard you were awake."

Tohru smiled "Hello, Shigure. Isn't Yuki or Kyo with you?"

Shigure looked to Hatori who shook his head slightly, enough that he'd be understood. "Oh... well.... That is to say, I think Yuki had student council duties to attend to, and I think Kyo's off sulking somewhere."

Her smile lessened. "Sulking? Why?"

Shigure waved a hand. "Oh, nothing serious. He had a bit of a run in with Akito."

"Akito?" Her eyes grew large with worry. In her mind, she heard him telling her that he would make her suffer.

Hatori gave him a look and he laughed uneasily. "Yes, well, I guess he caught him sneaking into the house to see you and... didn't take too kindly to it. It's nothing serious though. He merely got kicked out, right Hatori?" He glanced quickly at his peer for confirmation.

"Oh." She smoothed the bedding around her and tried to not worry.

"Indeed," Hari said, though not because he was agreeing with anyone. He wasn't one to generally lie about anything.

The sound of low mumbling came from the other bed but Tohru couldn't figure out whose voice she heard. The screen kept her from seeing its occupant. "Is someone else sick?" she asked. "I noticed there's someone else here."

Hari looked quickly over to the bed. "Yes," he finally answered, fairly certain that Tohru didn't recognize the legs sticking past the screen, barely visible in the twist of bedding. He was glad he'd thought to put up a screen a few days ago. "Just someone with the flu."

Shigure laughed. "Of course, just the flu."

"Oh. So..." She looked at Shigure's anxious face. "How is Yuki? You did say that Kyo's off sulking and everything."

Shigure's expression relaxed. "Oh he's all right, just stressed from school. Nothing to worry about. He's been keeping your homework for you." He coughed a little.

"Shigure, are you sick?" She sat up a little taller, her caring instincts coming more into play.

"Well, now that you mention it, yes." He looked to Hari.

"He has a cold," Hari answered for him. "And should be leaving soon to get his rest."

Shigure looked up with surprise but his expression quickly was masked over with a smile. "You're right. I should probably be going. I've got a lot of writing to catch up on anyway."

"You should get your rest too," Hari added. "It's been a long day for you."

"Oh, no, really," she protested but she did feel a bit weary.

"And try to not worry about anything else right now," Hari advised. "You're not quite out of danger yet."

"Right," she said dutifully. "I'll do my best." She averted her eyes to not look at the other bed. Whoever was in it was definitely having a hard time sleeping, tossing and turning almost constantly, coughing occasionally. It almost reminded her of Kyo, but that was silly. Shigure had said Kyo was off sulking somewhere so how could it be him?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yuki came home late, again. Another Student Council meeting had ended up keeping him late. His feet almost dragged as he walked home. It was getting dark outside. He'd wanted to go check on Tohru, and even Kyo, but it was too late for that if he wanted to get home in a decent amount of time.

On his way home he stopped at the secret base, looking over the small garden with a sigh. He hadn't had the time lately to do much with it, to weed it and water it properly. What with student council and worrying over Tohru, his heart just hadn't been into it. I should come and weed this tomorrow after school, he told himself.

The house was mostly dark when he went inside. He had to turn on the main lights. And from the mess of dishes left on the dining table, he was sure Shigure was somewhere around. He wondered if he'd heard anything from Hatori or if he was still pleading the invalid. He decided to go in search of him, finding him in his den, asleep at his desk.

He leaned against the doorframe and sighed. Typical. Shigure could sleep, Yuki could not. The last thing he'd heard about Tohru was that her fever was still up and not breaking. And Kyo wasn't doing much better. He really did feel bad for him. Even though he felt left out, he definitely didn't want to be sick like that. And then there was Arisa who kept going around the school like she had a huge chip on her shoulder, or an axe to grind. She was still trying to figure out who attacked her so that she could exact revenge.

Yuki found himself something to eat in the fridge. He wasn't sure what it was, or even if it was really edible but he was too tired to care. He looked at the dishes piling up around the sink. He should probably do them as well, since he was the only healthy member in the house but he didn't feel like doing them tonight. They could wait one more day.

After making sure all of the doors were closed and secured for the night, he headed to his room, making sure his alarm clock was set or he wasn't sure he'd be able to get up in the morning. He had enough trouble as was, even with the alarm. His chest felt a bit tight, but then it was likely because his muscles were tight too. He would be much happier if he knew that Tohru was doing better.

He changed into his nightclothes and tried to settle down into his bed, but as tired as he was, sleep would not come. Half a million worries ran through his head, half a million worries that would not let him sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Shigure was pouring his first cup of tea for the day when Yuki walked groggily into the kitchen. He looked like he hadn't slept a wink. "Burning the midnight oil," Shigure joked. "If you don't hurry you'll be late for school." He looked at his watch.

Yuki stumbled towards the fridge and looked inside. He wished Tohru were there. The fridge was getting empty again. He mentally added shopping to his list of things that had to be done that day. He shut the fridge with a bang and headed for his books near the stairs.

"Oh," Shigure started. "I thought you might like to know that Tohru's doing better." He heard the door close before he'd gotten halfway through his sentence. It was likely that Yuki hadn't heard him. He had looked pretty out of it. He waited another minute, and when he didn't hear Yuki come back, asking about her, he decided he hadn't heard him after all, but he wasn't about to go after him just to tell him something he'd find out on his own eventually anyway.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hatori brought in a tray with a small soup crock and a bowl, setting it on a small table by Tohru's bed. "Good morning," he said, pleased that she was awake again. "I thought you might want something to eat."

Tohru smiled at him. "Thank you so much, for everything," she said.

He ladled her some broth and brought the bowl over to her. "Take it slow," he instructed. "It's been a while since your stomach has had some actual food in it. We wouldn't want to overdo things."

She took the spoon from the smaller tray he placed over her lap and sampled the broth. "It's delicious," she said and sipped the rest of the liquid from the spoon.

"Perhaps, if you are feeling stronger, we might try something a little more substantial later on in the day," he said. "I'll be back in a while for the tray."

He turned to go.

"Hatori," she called, "does... does Kyo and Yuki know that I'm.... that I'm awake? I haven't seen either of them yet and I wondered."

"No," he answered. "I don't think anyone has told them yet. Either that, or Yuki has been kept away because of his student council responsibilities. I wouldn't worry about it if I were you."

"Oh, okay," she replied and he left the room. She noticed he hadn't mentioned Kyo. Perhaps he was still banned by Akito.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Akito paced her room, hands behind her back. She was truly glad to hear that Tohru was decidedly on the mend. She did feel a little guilty about kicking Kyo that day she'd found him there, but there was no way she'd tell anyone that. After all, even though he was the cat, he carried more of the burden of the curse than most of the others, excluding herself. In a way, she rather thought she envied him.

He was free to go about and do things she couldn't. And, for the most part, he had his health, while her own was definitely not as reliable. She'd been kind of amused every time Hari came over to check her over, taking extra precautions to rid himself of any germs he might have carried over from his home, sterilizing everything he came in contact with. He still apparently didn't know about her midnight visits.

And even with her obviously raccoon eyes, telling him quite clearly that she wasn't sleeping, she refused to actually take the sleeping pills he'd prescribed to help her sleep. How could she sit like a vulture over those two invalids if she were asleep? And when would she be able to find the time for quiet contemplation she find there, when no one knew where she was or could even begin to guess where to look?

Someone knocked on the door and she whirled around sharply on her heels. "Who is it?"

The door slid open and Shigure peeked his head inside. How dare he actually come to her rooms like this? She wasn't even fully dressed, wearing just her robes and nothing else. Anyone who didn't know she was a girl would definitely see the evidence because she hadn't restrained herself yet.

"What do you want," she asked harshly.

"Akito," Shigure said, his tone one of hurt. "It's me, Shigure. I'm not one of the servants."

She turned away from him and went over to her bed and sat down, picking up a brush and sliding it through her short hair. "You should know better than to come into my room, even if you aren't a servant."

Shigure smothered a cough as he walked into the room.

"You shouldn't be here if you're sick. Hatori will be very upset," she told him pointedly.

"Let him be," he answered.

"And what if I don't want to catch what you have?" She turned her face to look at him, her eyes and expression unreadable. "I've already been holed up for trying to burn my robes."

"I hadn't heard about that one," he confessed as he sat on the corner of the bed. "Want to tell me about it?"

"No."

"Akito," he said and slid a little closer.

"Shigure," she said very firmly, "don't come any closer. I'm watched like a hawk as is. Hatori has practically been hovering over me since strep was brought into the house. Several of the servants came down with a mild case, or didn't you know?"

He stopped inching towards her.

She smiled, realizing that he hadn't heard. "Now then, I want you to get up and leave me alone, at least until you stop coughing all over the place."

"But-"

Her smile took on a hint of malice. "You wouldn't want me to get sick like Tohru Honda, now would you?"

"No, no," he said, backing up.

"And if my mother were to learn you were here, in my room..."

He continued to back up, hitting into the door. He put his hands up in the air as if to say he surrendered. "All right, I get the point. I'm going." He fell out of the room, catching himself before he went to the floor, and left the house.

Akito laughed to herself. Sometimes it was amusing to see how others reacted to her.


	11. Chapter 11

School got out early and Yuki didn't know what to do with himself. He was afraid to go see Tohru. Arisa had been dogging him for the last half hour since the bell rang, releasing them from classes. He was afraid she'd follow him again and find Sohma House. What would happen then, especially if there wasn't someone to help get him out of the mess like Haru had last time?

Speaking of Haru, he saw him heading towards him, his pace an easy one as he walked towards his older cousin.

"Hey Yuki," he called out. "Do you have any plans for this afternoon?"

Yuki sighed, catching sight of Arisa out of the corner of his eye. There were things that needed to be done at home, and he wanted the place to look nice when Tohru was well enough to come back. It probably wouldn't help her to come home to a mess. "Yes," he said wearily. "I plan on wedding the garden, and cleaning the house. Shigure hasn't been much help."

"Isn't he sick," Haru asked. "At least that's what I heard."

"Yes," Yuki dragged out the word. "And he's milking it for all its worth. Forget that it's nowhere near as bad as Miss Honda, or even Kyo for that matter."

"Sounds like Shigure," Haru laughed. "Need a hand? I'm not the best in the garden, but it is autumn and it is getting colder. Someone needs to keep an eye on you so that you don't over do it."

Yuki picked up his books. "Hatori's orders?"

"No. Mine," Haru smiled. "I know this has to be eating away at you and the last thing we all need is for you to lose it. Someone has to be strong, for Tohru," he qualified.

"Yeah," Arisa said, speaking up. "That's what friends do, right?"

"And, of course, you wouldn't dare refuse us," Hana added. "If it is, after all, for Tohru, we should stick together."

"It's the only thing we can do for her right now, isn't it," Arisa continued. "Since we don't know where she is and can't go visit."

"Arisa," Hana said, quietly admonishing her.

Yuki looked from face to face, wondering if there was some ulterior motive going on, but he was tired.

"Come on, Yuki," Haru spoke up. "Surely it can't hurt anything to let them help."

Was he in on it too, Yuki wondered. But no, he'd offered first. But why was he going along with them then? It made no sense. "Fine," he said finally. "I was planning on starting in the garden anyway. A lot of weeds have grown since I last worked in it and it will likely take a few extra hands to clear them out."

"Well then, let's go," Arisa said impatiently.

"Yes, lets," Hana added.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ayame, Yuki's older brother, swept out of his shop, his long white hair trailing out behind him. "Look after the store while I'm gone," he told his assistant as he left. "I simply must go speak with Shigure this afternoon. The matter can't be delayed."

"Don't worry about a thing," Minea called out after him, happy that he'd left her in charge for a while.

Ayame strode down the streets gracefully, a cloak wrapped around his shoulders against the cold. Last time he'd gone to Shigure's in the cold, he'd transformed into his Zodiac animal, the snake, and had given Tohru quite the scare, and made his brother quite mad. But such things were easily forgotten, over time. He wondered if Yuki still remembered the incident and whether or not he still held it against him, despite how much better they were doing at getting along. Perhaps he would see Yuki there, if he wasn't off seeing poor Tohru. She really was a sweet thing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Arisa pulled yet another weed from the garden. "Wow, you really let things grow wild in here, don't you," she commented as she threw the weed aside. "I think that's the tenth one in two minutes."

"Yes, there are a great many weeds, aren't there," Hana said. "But I can understand why. It is hard to work in a garden where you are not accustomed to being alone in it."

Yuki gave her a grateful smile as he struggled with a root that was particularly stubborn.

"Here, let me help you with that," Haru said and came up behind him, grabbing the plant before Yuki could decline the offer. "Heave!"

With an extra set of hands, the both soon were flying backwards as the root gave up and came out of the ground. Yuki panted, trying to control his breathing before anything could result from the sudden dizziness he felt.

"You okay, Yuki? You look a little pale," Haru said. "You might want to take a break for a while." He didn't mention that he'd thought his older cousin hadn't looked quite his usual self most of the day.

Yuki didn't argue and sat down a few feet away, holding his ribs with one hand while he tried to catch his breath. "I just didn't expect for them to have grown so much," he said between breaths.

Haru rolled his eyes but went back to pulling up the worst of the weeds while Hana and Arisa pulled up the less stubborn ones, though Arisa did like taking out her frustrations on the harder ones. He kept an eye on his cousin though.

"So, Prince, you never did tell us what Tohru's sick with," Arisa spoke up, pushing her hair back behind her shoulders to keep it out of the dirt.

"She has pneumonia," he said slowly.

"Oh," she looked up with surprise. "I guess that would be bad, huh."

"It would explain why she's been sick for so long," Hana added.

"Didn't Tohru's dad die of pneumonia," Arisa asked as she pulled at another stubborn weed.

"Yes," Hana replied. "It was a cold that had not been properly taken care of and therefore turned into pneumonia."

Yuki and Haru both looked up in surprised. They'd both taken for granted that her father had died, but neither had realized under what circumstances.

"No wonder Miss Honda is upset about any of us catching a cold," Yuki commented thoughtfully.

"Yeah, for all the good it does her, ignoring her own colds," Haru added dryly.

"Tohru had her reasons, I'm sure," Hana spoke up. She stopped for a moment, her sensitivity picking up some extra signals. "Someone is coming," she said and brushed her hands off.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hints of white and bright colors could be seen through the trees, outshining the bright leaves still clinging to their branches. Ayame hummed brightly to himself as he walked along, wondering how Yuki and Shigure would react when they saw him. It would definitely be a delicious surprise. He chuckled at the thought.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a group of people and wondered what they were up to. Deciding to investigate, he veered off the main road.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yuki looked up as Ayame entered the clearing. He'd looked up in surprise, more than anything, because of what Hana had said. His breath caught in his throat and he couldn't make it come out. Ayame seemed to be a magnet for trouble and now was the last time he needed any.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and stared at this strange man with long, white hair, everyone but Haru who glanced at Yuki to see how he was taking this.

Ayame's face lit up even more when he saw who was there. "Why, little brother," he called out happily. "I didn't expect to see you outside and," he looked at the garden and the others around it, "tending a garden? How lovely!"

"Brother?" Arisa dropped her hand shovel with surprise and she and Hana looked at each other.

"What...are you...doing here," Yuki said carefully, his chest tightening even more as he used the last bits of air in his lungs to squeeze out his question, then sucked in another painful breath.

"Is that any way to treat your brother who came all this way just to see you?" Ayame swept his arms upward, not even noticing the more than usual paleness of his brother. "I was hoping we might spend some time, and pour into each others' wounded hearts the balm of brotherly love and consolation since Tohru is..."

Yuki had his fists clenched. "Since Miss Honda is what?" His brother's tone was definitely more down turned, as if he bore some unpleasant news.

Ayame's face lost its smile as he seemed to realize that Yuki hadn't heard the news. "Why, little brother, I thought you knew. Akito was talking all about it at the main house."

"About what?" His fists were shaking and it was getting harder to breathe as he tensed more and more. Both Hana and Arisa looked on with mixed emotions; Hana's eyes were wide.

"Why, that she almost died, of course," Ayame continued.

"That's a lie!" He was really shaking now, his body rigid as he prepared to leash out with his furry. His ears were ringing and it suddenly felt like the ground had slid out from under him but his anger seemed to sustain him despite that.

"Shouldn't we do something to stop them," Hana asked, reading the intentions Yuki had as if he were shouting them at her. Arisa looked like she might have volunteered but the shock on her face was so incredibly absolute that Hana wasn't sure what she was going to do. The news had shaken her too but she didn't show it, except for in her eyes.

"No," Haru spoke up. "Don't, it will only make things worse." His eyes were wide, his own fists beginning to clench. Stupid idiots!

Arisa hesitated, her body telling her to clobber this white-haired guy and his flashy cloak, just to find out if he was leading them on in some sick joke or actually telling the truth. Hana closed her eyes, not because she didn't want to see, but because it was easier to pay attention to the electrical signals if she did. There certainly were quite a few running rampant at the moment.

Yuki launched himself at his older brother as Hana closed her eyes. Unfortunately, he didn't exactly make it far in his actual attack. Something happened mid-air that caused him to stumble, almost like something had made him trip. He fell forward.

Ayame went down, Yuki following after him. He was stunned. Yuki lay on top of him, not moving, the air knocked out of him from the unexpected fall. He hadn't expected his body to betray him like that. The force behind his furry had pushed every ounce of air out of his lungs and he couldn't get it back. His eyes opened wide in shock.

Stress, every single bit of stress came floating up in front of his eyes as Ayame lay there under him, stunned as well. He saw Tohru, sick and pale, her body shaking with fever. He saw Kyo tossing and turning, mumbling in his dreams, "No! Please!" He saw Hatori's stern face staring at him, checking his breathing. And thinking of that, he tried to breathe.

"Oh no," Haru said as Yuki rolled away and Ayame sat up. "Not now." He ran over to his cousin's side. "Yuki!" He tried to sit him up, to open up his airways. Yuki's lips were tinged with blue.

Arisa looked on with a startled expression on her face. What was going on? "Hey," she called out sharply. "What's wrong with the Prince?" Her worries about Tohru were suddenly forgotten in the heat of the moment.

"Yuki!" Ayame sprang up. "Tell big brother what it is. Speak to me, Yuki!"

"It's his asthma," Haru said. "He can't breathe."

"Yuki has asthma?" Arisa looked to Hana who had opened her eyes.

"I sense something of a deeper nature," she said thoughtfully, only loud enough for Arisa to hear.

Ayame stood near his brother, not sure what to do. He'd never really been allowed around when his brother had had attacks when they were both younger.

"Try to breathe slowly," Haru said, trying to remind Yuki of ways to control the asthma, but it didn't seem to make a huge difference. He gasped like a fish out of water. "Someone needs to go call..." He stopped, looking at everyone around. If Ayame went, chances were likely he'd be overwhelmed by Arisa and Hana trying to help. And if Yuki transformed... they'd be in an even bigger kettle of soup than the last time. His eyes landed on Arisa.

"You, go to the house and find Shigure. Tell him that Yuki's having an asthma attack. He'll know what to do." He tried to bring Yuki's head higher, trying to open his breathing passage more. "And whatever you do, don't go running in a panic. Don't' touch Shigure or you might catch whatever it is he has."

Arisa looked questioningly at Ayame, then at Hana, but obediently ran towards the house.

"Shouldn't we try to move him," Hana asked.

"No," Haru said sharply, more sharply than he'd intended. "Sorry. We should wait for Shigure. He'll know what to do."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Arisa sprinted to the house, knocking at the door as she got there, but no one answered so she went in. "Hey, Mr. Writer," she called out. "Anyone here?" She started looking in the various rooms on the first floor, starting with the kitchen. "Shigure?"

"What the..." Shigure said, coming from his study. He looked a bit groggy, like he'd fallen asleep or something, or like he'd had one too many drinks. She wasn't sure which it was. "Arisa? What are you doing here?" He saw the discoloration near her right eye, a lovely greenish color. "What happened to you?"

"Never mind that," she said crossly. "I was sent to tell you that Yuki's having an asthma attack."

Shigure seemed to snap awake instantly. "Where is he?"

Arisa looked at him in surprise, as he was suddenly all business. "In the garden," she said. "And there's some weird guy there, with long white hair. I think they said his name was—"

"Ayame," Shigure finished for her. "What's he up to," he wondered out loud as he went to a closet for a blanket. He brushed thoughts of Ayame from his mind, turning them back to Arisa. "If memory serves, Yuki wasn't wearing a jacket, was he?"

Arisa shook her head. "No, we were just out weeding the garden. We didn't think it would take that long."

"Here," he handed her the blanket. "Take this to him. I have to make a phone call, and whatever you do, don't touch him."

Arisa took the blanket, staring at Shigure in confusion. This was the second time she'd been told not to touch someone.

He turned around and saw she hadn't moved. "Go. He'll need that. I promise I'll be right behind you." He stifled a cough with his hand and went to the phone, Arisa leaving the house with the blanket in her hand.

Shigure dialed, impatiently muttering to himself while the phone rang. "Hatori? We have a situation." He coughed lightly, then cleared his throat. "It's not me. It's Yuki. He's having an attack, and he's not alone. I guess Ayame came visiting while he and a few classmates were weeding the garden. I'm guessing it's pretty bad from the way they came yelling for me."

"Which friends," Hari's voice came over the line, temporarily ignoring everything else.

"Arisa, and I think Hana," Shigure answered. "You might want to come over before things get out of hand."

"I'll be over as soon as I can," Hari promised and Shigure hung up the phone. He grabbed a heavy robe from the closet and went after Arisa, just hoping that Yuki's strained body didn't transform.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hatori's thoughts were along a similar line as he got together some things he knew he'd need and placed them in his bag. He closed the bag with a snap and went into the backroom where Kagura was sitting with Kyo and Tohru who was sleeping.

"Kagura," he said so that she'd look up from Kyo's feverish face. "I have to leave for a while. If anything changes, page me immediately."

Kagura nodded, her eyes filled with worry, wondering what had happened to call him away so suddenly.

"I'll be back as soon as I can." He turned and walked out of the room, his footsteps heavy on the hardwood floor.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Arisa ran back to the garden, the blanket flying out behind her as she held onto it. She might choose not to admit it, but she was worried. Strange things were going on, and it seemed to have targeted Shigure's house. First Tohru, then Kyo, and Shigure, but Yuki too? There was too much going on to be just a coincidence, right?

She arrived back at the garden a little out of breath and held out the blanket to Haru. "Here, Shigure said he'd be right behind me."

Haru took the blanket and wrapped it around Yuki, trying to help him get warm, holding him upright so that he could breathe. So far they'd been lucky and he hadn't transformed, but there was no knowing if that luck would last. He'd already decked Arisa once and didn't know how it would affect her if he did it again. Not to mention that he seemed to be the only one who'd kept a cool head, except for Hana and they definitely couldn't have her take over holding him.

Yuki was still gasping, but at least he was getting some small amount of air for his efforts. And Ayame wasn't being any help at all, practically weeping over his brother, wringing his hands, and declaring his apologies over and over again.

"Can't you do something useful," Arisa asked him after watching him for a minute.

"He's done nothing but that since you left," Hana said. "I feel sorry for him, in a way. I do not believe he's ever dealt with anything like this."

"But they're brothers," Arisa said in surprise.

"They may be brothers," Haru interrupted, "but they didn't grow up together."

Shigure came at that moment or Arisa might have pried more. He was walking quickly, his face filled with concern. He almost sighed with relief when he saw that no one had transformed yet. With two girls in the area, and all the stress, it was definitely hard to believe that nothing of that nature had happened. "I called Hatori," he said to Haru. "He shouldn't be too long."

"Hatori?" Both Arisa and Hana looked up.

"He's the family doctor," Haru answered for them. He turned his attention to Shigure. "Shouldn't we have them...?"

Shigure looked at the two girls. "Yes. Thank you for your help, Hana, Arisa, but I think we can handle things from here."

"You kidding me," Arisa asked. "He still can't breathe." She looked at Yuki. He was still very pale, coughing every now and again between gasps and groaning.

"The doctor will be here soon," Shigure said nervously. "There's really no need for you to stay."

Arisa narrowed her eyes and looked at the Sohmas. There was more going on here than met the eye.

"Arisa," Hana started, but before she could continue, a dark car pulled up and stopped just off the road. Everyone's eyes went to the man who left its confines, a doctor's bag in hand. He had longer dark hair, hair that hung down over the left side of his face, covering his eye.

"Ah, there you are," Shigure said with more relief then the occasion deserved.

Hatori didn't bother with formalities, walking quickly over to Yuki and Haru, pulling out his stethoscope. "How bad is he," he asked.

"Pretty bad," Haru said, looking up at Hatori as he spoke.

"Now really," Shigure said addressing the two girls, trying to laugh. "You should probably leave. We have everything under control here." He made shooing motions with his hands. "We don't need a scene here, now do we?"

"We should go," Hana said before Arisa could say anything. "He's right. There is nothing more we can do here." Her eyes seemed to sparkle with purple fire as Arisa looked into them. She knew that look and shrugged.

"Fine, let's go then." She started towards the road. Let them think she was letting this go.

Hana looked at Hatori's hunched back as he listened to Yuki's breathing through a stethoscope. The electrical signals coming from him were distinct. She watched as Hatori pulled out a needle, filled it with medication, and injected it into Yuki's body.

"Hana," Arisa called. "You coming or what?"

Hana stood up, eyes still on Hatori. Shigure eyed her nervously but wisely kept his mouth shut. "You will let us know how he, as well as Tohru are doing, won't you," she asked him

Shigure nodded, pulling at the collar around his neck uncomfortably. He suddenly felt like he was under a magnifying glass, with a hundred plus volts of static electricity waiting to strike. "Of course."

"Good," she said and walked away.

Haru looked up at Shigure, watching the exchange.

"What a ... strange girl," Shigure commented, then went to distract Ayame who was getting in Hatori's way.

"We should take him back to the main house," Hari spoke up. "I've given him something to loosen his bronchial tubes, but he really should be put on oxygen."

Haru helped Hatori lift Yuki and carry him to the car, putting him in the back seat. Haru sat next to him, leaning his limp body against his side.

"I think you shouldn't come with us," Hari said to Ayame who had followed them.

"Come on, Ayame," Shigure said when Ayame looked like complaining. "I'll walk you back to your shop."

"My poor brother," Ayame said. "I feel so helpless to do anything. I really had no idea my coming would cause such a commotion."

Hatori closed the car doors, getting behind the wheel. He looked at the backseat for a moment, before starting the engine. "You were lucky," he said. "If Yuki had transformed back there... I don't know if I could have kept it from Akito." He put the car in gear and drove back to Sohma House, praying nothing else had come up while he was getting Yuki.

"That was weird, ya know," Arisa said as they walked towards town. "Really weird." Her head was still whirling with everything that had happened.

"How so," Hana asked, her mind running over the events, but in a different manner than what Arisa's were.

"Don't you think it kind of odd that Haru told me not to touch Shigure? I mean, I can understand if he has some kind of disease passed on by touch, but it looked more like he had a cold to me." She brushed a stray strand of hair back into place. "And when I came back with the blanket, he told me not to touch the Prince. It was weird."

"Hmmm," Hana mused. "I suppose when you put it that way, it is rather odd." She didn't mention anything about what her electric signals had told her. She still found it quite interesting that Hatori's signals reminded her of the residue she'd sensed on Arisa the night she'd come to her house, black eye on her face, and not remembering how she got it. "The Sohma family is a very strange one," she commented. "We cannot know all the reasons behind everything."

"Oh, come on Hana," Arisa said with exasperation. "It's a mystery and I plan on finding out exactly what's going on. And what they've done with Tohru."

"They told you already," Hana answered. "She's ill, with pneumonia. I'm sure she's fine. In fact," and she stopped walking, "I feel that she is doing better than she was at first."

"Maybe your ability can tell us where she is," Arisa quipped. "Would sure be a lot easier than following the Prince around, now wouldn't it?"

"He's just as worried for her as you are." She started walking again. "But I'm not worried, not yet."

Arisa gave her friend a funny look, wondering what her last comment meant. "We never did finish weeding the garden," she said, realizing that Hana wouldn't be goaded into keeping on that line of conversation.

"No. Perhaps another time." Hana did not share any more of her thoughts, keeping them to herself, for now. There was definitely more going on than met the eye and she sensed that though Tohru was better, there was still something she was blocking from everyone, something she didn't want to admit to herself. Hana knew it would tear her apart if she didn't accept it soon. "I have to help her," she said so quietly that Arisa couldn't hear.


	12. Chapter 12

"Easy now," Hatori said as Haru helped him carry Yuki up the front walk. Yuki was pretty out of it at this point, still breathing uneasily. Hatori wanted to get him inside as soon as possible, get him started on oxygen, and see if he could figure out what triggered the attack. He hoped it wasn't strep. He didn't know if Yuki could handle that complication right now.

Very close, in the next building over, Akito peered out a window, watching Haru and Hari carry Yuki's limp form into the doctor's house. She pursed her lips, eyebrows furrowed in almost a scowl. Apparently the rat had been the next to fall to this. She was a bit surprised, but seeing him brought in like that brought back some painful memories, memories of taunting him when he was young and having an asthma attack that had been so bad they weren't sure if he'd make it. She was surprised to find that the feelings she thought would follow this memory didn't. She drew her robes more closely around her slim body and slipped out the door, heading to the window of the back room. They'd likely take him there since there weren't really any other places inside the house for Hatori to place him.

"Put him here, on the chair," Hari said and they set Yuki down on the piece of furniture, his swivel chair. He wondered where he was going to put him after this. The back room was getting pretty full what with two beds, a chair, and now a screen. And though he didn't think Kyo was contagious anymore, it would likely be best to put him somewhere where it would be quiet. He just couldn't figure out where, unless in his own bedroom and that was out of the question.

"Haru, please go to the main house and ask for a spare cot," he said with a sigh. He'd just have to make room for one more. At least the back room was decent sized and could probably hold one more bed, a cot actually, and still afford walking room.

He went into his lab to get a tank of oxygen, as well as a few other supplies he thought he might want. After inserting the appropriate breathing tubes, he stuck a thermometer under Yuki's tongue and held it there since Yuki wasn't able to do it for himself. He was sleeping uneasily but the thermometer said he only had a low-grade fever, nothing too serious. By the time Haru returned with the extra cot, Hari had Yuki hooked up to the oxygen, which helped a lot. He'd also taken a throat culture to check for strep and was about to check on that when Haru returned.

"Set it up in the back room," he instructed Haru, seeing him carry the narrow frame into the room. "If you have to move Kyo's cot a bit, you may, but don't jostle him. Make sure the screen keeps him from view if you can." He sighed as he thought about Kyo. Nothing he'd looked into seemed to be helping him. His temperature had remained a stubborn hundred and two. At least it hadn't gone any higher. And he still wouldn't wake up, like he was trapped in some kind of nightmare that kept playing over and over. Hari wasn't sure about that part, but he guessed something like that was going on. He just wished he knew how to end it without causing more damage.

He went back to his lab and played with the culture, sighing with relief when the results came back negative. He guessed part of the cause had been a slight cold, probably brought on by stress. And gardening out in the chill autumn weather hadn't help. But neither had Ayame. He'd gotten a brief description of what had gone on.

The attack itself had been pretty bad. It would have been better, perhaps, if Yuki hadn't strained himself that way at the end, trying to take Ayame out, but then he couldn't blame him for trying, after what Ayame had said. And Yuki still didn't know that Tohru was doing better, or so he guessed from what Shigure had said earlier on the phone.

"The cot's ready," Haru said from behind him. "Kagura was a bit put out that I had to move Kyo's bed though."

"She'll live," Hari said gruffly. "Come on."

With Kagura's help, they managed to move Yuki to the extra cot, along with the oxygen tank. Haru had to go back to the main house for more pillows though, so that they could keep him propped up. Hatori wished he could borrow another screen, to keep Tohru from worrying, but left the one where it was, keeping Kyo from her sight. One shock at a time, he figured, and hopefully Yuki would recover quickly.

Tohru woke as he was adjusting the settings on the oxygen, making sure it didn't come too fast. "Wha...huh," Tohru said as she rubbed at her eyes. There were more people in the room than she'd remembered, and an extra bed. She blinked a few times before her eyes focused enough to see what exactly was going on.

"Yuki!" It came out as a sort of squeak, causing Hatori, Haru, and Kagura to turn around in surprise.

Haru went over to her side. "Hey, Princess," he said. "Good to see you awake."

Tohru kept staring at Yuki as Hatori straightened out a few more things and Kagura backed away, towards Kyo's bed. "What happened? Is he all right? Is he sick?" She was definitely getting upset and agitated, something everyone didn't want to have happen.

"Hey," Haru said gently. "It's okay. He just had an asthma attack."

"Asthma?!" Tohru would have jumped out of bed right then and there and run over to him but Haru had grabbed her firmly by the wrist, probably realizing what she was thinking about doing. "But Yuki!" she exclaimed.

"He'll be all right," Hatori said, turning around. "He's asleep but should be up and about again in a few days. You, on the other hand, need to calm down. You won't be of any help if you work yourself up into a fever."

"But," and her eyes were large with tears.

"No buts," Haru said, putting a finger against her lips. "Doc has spoken. You should do as he says. Yuki will be fine. You'll see."

She looked over at his bed, her eyes brimming but she stopped trying to get up.

"Thank you," Hatori said to Haru, before returning to Tohru. "You haven't been up on your feet in a while. I'd rather be around when you actually are. You're bound to be a bit weak still." He faced Haru again. "Stay with her for a while. Kagura can watch Yuki. I need to have a talk with Ayame." He gave him a meaningful look, glancing quickly at the screen, though it looked more like he was looking at Kagura. "Not a word."

Tohru watched the exchange with some confusion, wondering what his last comment meant but Haru immediately went about to distract her, telling her about what was going on at school, how Yuki had his attack, anything to keep her mind off of Hari's last comment and glance to where Kyo lay. He understood. He wasn't to mention anything about it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Akito listened to the entire exchange from the slightly open window. She was surprised that no one had seemed to notice it was cracked open yet. She'd opened it the last time she'd sat there, in the dark, listening. But listening now to the panic in Tohru's voice, not for herself, but for Yuki, really took her back. How could she worry about someone else so much that she'd even want to neglect herself? It didn't make sense, but then, for Akito, everyone had lived to serve her.

But when she heard that Yuki had had an asthma attack, she blinked in surprise. She'd almost thought he'd caught the strep, though, with all the stress going on around lately, she'd probably have had one herself if she'd been inclined to having them.

Hatori's calm but stern voice cut through her thoughts, telling Tohru to calm down. She recognized that tone. It was one he used often on her when she was being difficult. Once Tohru'd calmed down, she heard Hari mention going to see Ayame. It was almost as if a light bulb had come up over Akito's head. Ayame. Of course. She almost snorted in disgust.

The back door of the house slid open and she had to duck so that Hatori wouldn't see her spying, though she wasn't entirely sure, yet again, why she didn't just confront him and stop hiding. She saw him striding very purposefully down towards his parked car and slipped away from the house before someone else had the chance to notice her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hatori met Ayame and Shigure at Ayame's shop. "We need to talk," Hatori said without preamble as he entered the store. His serious expression suppressed any comments Ayame might have offered and he simply led both cousins to the back room, telling Minea to look after the front.

"What is it, Hatori," Ayame asked tiredly as he sat back in a chair.

Hatori sat on the edge of his own chair, Shigure leaning against the wall. "I'm sure you know very well what it is," he answered. "You had no right to say anything like that to Yuki."

"I was only trying to help," Ayame said defensively. "It was truly the last thing I heard about any of this. I'm not the one who said Tohru had almost died."

Hari tried to find his patience and ran a hand through his hair. "Don't you ever think before you speak, Ayame? Is everything always on a whim? You could have caused a serious disaster."

Ayame hung his head. "You know I didn't mean for anything to happen."

Shigure smiled grimly, listening to the whole exchange.

"You never do," Hatori replied. "Isn't it obvious the stress he's been through these past few weeks? There is only so much that a human body or mind can take."

"By the way," Shigure interrupted, "how is Yuki?"

"Stable," Hatori said irately. "Thankfully Hatsuharu thought to send someone for help or it might have been worse, much worse. And thankfully you were home," he amended. "As is, there will likely be questions that arise from all of this, questions that should not have been brought up. I believe those two girls were Tohru's friends? I seem to recall seeing the blonde one before. Miss Uotani, isn't it?"

Shigure nodded.

"What would have happened if Yuki had transformed, or you, for that matter," Hatori continued, looking at Ayame. "I've already erased the Uotani girl's memory once this week. I don't want to have to again. Any more such incidents might arouse Akito's suspicions, which could lead to more drastic measures."

Shigure stood up with a jerk. "You erased some of Arisa's memories? When?"

"Haru and Yuki had a run in with her the other day," Hatori explained. "She confronted them about Tohru and made physical contact. Haru rendered her unconscious and came for me before anyone else found out about it."

Shigure put a hand to his chin. "That would explain the black eye."

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't mention the incident to anyone," Hari said sternly.

"I wouldn't dream of..." Ayame started.

"Good," Hatori interrupted. "I'll forgo having you write it in blood." He turned to Shigure. "And you. What were you thinking, allowing Yuki out in the cold, without even a jacket? Is that any way to take care of those under your supervision?"

"I didn't know they were in the garden," Shigure said defensively. "And Yuki left so quickly this morning that I didn't even have a chance to think."

"No, you didn't," Hari said. "I suppose you also neglected to tell him that Tohru is now on the mend. I gathered as much from our conversation earlier in the morning."

Shigure didn't know what to say. Both he and Ayame sat speechless.

"Tohru knows about Yuki," Hari continued. "It nearly sent her back in her recovery. Heaven forbid she learns about Kyo before she's strong enough to handle it. If I catch any of you mentioning him around her I cannot be blamed for what happens."

He stood up and left, leaving both Shigure and Ayame looking at each other, eyes wide, mouths slightly agape at Hatori's tone. Was he threatening them?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tohru found it hard to sleep that night. She kept listening to the night, listening for the sounds of breathing and she heard small gasps in the night, the tossing and turning of someone who either could not sleep, or someone dreaming unpleasant dreams. The breathing she heard was rough, with occasional coughing and she worried but she didn't dare get out of bed after what Hatori had said earlier in the day.

And so she listened and wondered. Kagura had stayed closer to the screen, sitting on a chair where she could keep an eye on Yuki, but still enough to keep her eye on whoever was behind the tall piece of furniture. Haru had stayed with her for an hour, trying to make her laugh. He'd left as soon as Hatori returned. Kagura took a little more convincing to leave but did so after Hari had a quiet talk with her where Tohru couldn't hear.

She hoped Yuki was okay. He, at least, seemed to be sleeping, but she couldn't really see him in the dark and wished someone had left a small light on so that she could see him, make sure he was sleeping, that he was all right. She thought the uneasy breathing came from him but wasn't sure.

She heard sounds coming from behind the screen, a low voice that she didn't quite recognize speaking out occasionally as if from a dream. The words were always the same. "Please, don't.... No." What words came between the "don't" and the "no", she wasn't sure because they were mumbled. She wondered who else was there, sick or otherwise but remembered seeing someone in the bed over there, someone that Hatori had said had strep. She wondered why Kyo hadn't come to visit her.

Near the wee hours of the morning, just before dawn, she finally dozed into sleep, dreaming of a rainy night when she went out, running after Kyo but she didn't know why. Something had happened to him and it frightened her and made her want to comfort him at the same time, but she could not find him. Part of her said she didn't want to. She couldn't remember why she felt afraid.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hatori stood in the doorway and watched Tohru as she slept. He'd come to the door to check on all three of them several times during the night. Yuki was still asleep. He'd been sleeping since they'd brought him in the day before. Kyo still hadn't woken up. And Tohru, he knew, hadn't slept well, dozing occasionally but always waking as he was leaving the room, though he didn't think she'd seen him or recognized who he was. But at least she was sleeping now. He'd have to keep a close eye on her to make sure there were no repercussions from her worrying.

He rubbed at his own eyes tiredly. Having three invalids in one house was bad enough, but having two worse off than the other, one who refused to get well, and the other who had just given everyone a serious scare was even worse. It would all be the death of him. He checked Yuki and Kyo one last time and headed to his own bed for a few hours of precious sleep before the day officially began, before Akito would start making demands on his time and his patience.

Haru walked the halls of the school. Without Yuki and Kyo around, life was definitely more boring, even with the occasional girl who tried to flirt with him, whose hearts he could easily break by giving them a charming smile, then dashing off mysteriously before they could reach him.

"Hey," he heard a girl calling out behind him, and felt a hand grab his shoulder. He spun around quickly, pushing whomever it was away from him before any more contact could be made.

Arisa fell to the floor as he pushed her away and sat rubbing at her backside. "Is that any way to treat someone who's just been trying to get your attention for the past five minutes? You sure can be a real jerk, ya know," she said irritatedly.

Hana walked up to her side, looking at Haru as she did. She sensed that Haru was embarrassed, though he wasn't likely to admit it. "I'm sure he meant nothing by it," she said.

He offered her his hand but she was already up again and brushing herself off. He stood back a step to give her some room. "So, what did you want," he said folding his arms.

"I was going to ask about the prince," she replied, pushing her hair out of her eyes. "He's okay, right?"

"Yeah," Haru answered, relaxing. "He'll be fine. We caught it soon enough, though he'll be out a few days. I'm sure his student council will be thrilled to hear it." He said the last bit sarcastically, having heard from Yuki often enough about his frustrations with this member or that. If nothing else, not having Tohru around had given them more time together.

"Good," Arisa said. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about Tohru, would you?"

Haru looked up with surprise. "Why would I know anything about that? Yuki's the one who hangs out with her the most, him and Kyo." His eyes seemed suddenly more distant as he mentioned Kyo.

"And how is Kyo doing," Hana interrupted, sensing his worry.

"Yeah, just how is orange-top doing?"

Haru chortled a bit, hiding the way his thoughts had drifted. "Kyo? He's still sick, out of it mostly. Unfortunate, really."

"How so," Hana asked.

"Cuz I can't fight him," Haru said, a smile playing across his lips. "It's hardly fair to beat him up when he can't defend himself."

Arisa smiled grimly to herself, remembering her own encounters with Kyo, their competitions. It really wasn't fair to beat him when he wasn't up to the challenge but it was really fun to hear him whine. Perhaps he would go see him today.


	13. Chapter 13

"Good morning," Hatori said as Tohru rubbed at her eyes. It was closer to afternoon than morning, but that hardly mattered. He stood to her right, stethoscope in hand. He pressed the instrument against her chest, listening to her heart and her lungs without expression.

"Good morning," she said, a bit bewildered.

"Don't talk. Just breathe in and out normally," he said. "I want to make sure you're healing properly." He didn't add that he wondered if the shock from the day before had caused any problems physiologically. The mind did, after all, have a great influence over the body.

Satisfied that her lungs were still clear, and that her heart was beating strongly, as it should, he continued on with his examination, checking her eyes, her ears, her nose, and throat, even her blood pressure.

"Do I pass," Tohru asked brightly as he checked the thermometer. She was trying to get a smile out of him but it didn't seem to work. If nothing else, her desire to make him smile partly kept her mind off of Yuki in the visible bed across the room.

Hari placed the thermometer back in his pocket. "I've noticed you had trouble sleeping last night," he finally said, following her glance, looking at Yuki who was still sleeping. He hadn't so much as opened his eyes since yesterday. Not surprising really, all things considered. Asthma could take a lot out of a person, and with his zodiac being the rat; it made him more susceptible to such attacks. Rats, after all, had weaker respiratory systems than most other animals.

Tohru played with her top blanket. "Oh no, not really," she said nervously. "I mean... I was worried about Yuki."

"Hmmm." He looked at her face, noting her complexion was a hint paler than it should be, not totally unexpected, but still something to worry about.

"It was a bit harder to sleep knowing that he wasn't doing well," she admitted.

Hatori contemplated. She had a valid point, and knowing her disposition, it definitely wasn't far from something he'd expect of her. But he felt sure that was only part of the reason. He wondered if now was the time to see what she did and did not remember. Akito would have no qualms about trying to find out. She'd probably be gleeful about it, he mused. The question really was if she were strong enough to handle the emotional ordeal that remembering might entail.

He hadn't been there when Kyo had transformed, but he knew about it, hearing the details from Kazuma and Shigure. And he was there when she confronted Akito at the main house. Those memories might be damaged, or any after them. At least those were the ones he most suspected. And as a medical professional, it was his duty to make sure his patient was at ultimate health, or as close to it as possible. And she trusted him. Or at least he hoped that she did.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Haru walked slowly towards Sohma House, his hair mussed by the breeze. He thought it looked like rain but wasn't sure. Sometimes the weather played tricks. His hands were thrust deep into his pockets as he rounded a corner, coming to the high wall that surrounded the Sohma House complex. In many ways, it was like its own little world.

With a heavy sigh, he went to the doors of the gate and went through, closing the doors behind him. A block away, a dark shadow flitted for a closer look, black fabric flowing in the breeze, dark eyelashes blinking in surprise in recognition. Spider silk.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hatori silently sighed, his decision made. "May I," he asked, indicating his desire to sit on her bed. She nodded and he sat down, careful not to sit on her or too close. He looked into her eyes. They were such innocent eyes, eyes that knew pain, but eyes that didn't know their own strength and that might doubt that strength. It was enough to reassure him.

"Let's try an experiment. I want you to try to look back," he instructed, "look back in your mind and tell me how much you remember of anything before you woke here. It might help me understand why you became ill in the first place."

She looked back into his eyes. His face showed no expression other than his usual grim one and she wondered why he looked like that. Did he always worry about something? Did he always have pain inside of him? She knew about Kana, the woman he'd loved but whose memories he'd had to erase because of Akito. She wondered what kind of pain that would have caused him and couldn't even begin to imagine.

"I remember making dinner," she said. It was a safe enough topic. "Yuki kept looking at me strangely, like something was wrong."

Tohru had had a headache that night. She'd had one almost every day, or so it seemed, since the night she got caught out in the rain looking for Kyo. She sneezed or coughed every now and again and had a sore throat but had convinced herself that it was nothing more than a cold, doing her best to hide it from everyone, even when she felt like she was drowning inside. She'd managed to stifle the deep coughs she felt wanted to come out because everyone else seemed worried about other things.

Yuki had student council responsibilities several times a week and they kept him late from school. Kyo had started back up at the dojo, trying to train up to beat Yuki once and for all. Shigure had been hard pressed to keep Mii happy by writing, escaping from it whenever he could.

She's been in the kitchen, cleaning up after dinner. She'd stopped to lean wearily against the counter, one hand on the countertop, the other pressed against her right temple as she tried to catch her breath. Yuki had come in the moment she'd started to relax, a cough or two escaping through her lips. She was tired and it showed.

"Are you all right, Miss Honda," Yuki'd asked. "You look like you aren't feeling very well."

"No, I'm all right," she'd said. "I'm just tired. I guess I went a little overboard."

"You're pale," he'd pressed.

"No, really. It's nothing, just a little cold," she'd insisted. "I'll be all right in the morning. You'll see."

"I guess he believed me," Tohru told Hatori, "because he didn't say anything else about it. I promised to go right to bed and I did."

Hatori nodded as he listened. She'd expressed memories that had probably occurred after her confrontation with Akito. Most were school related, doing household chores, worrying about everyone else and trying to hide her own illness from them. She must have done a good job of hiding it, he mused. The last time something like this happened, Shigure was on top of the matter. Perhaps he was distracted by other things. Knowing him, it wouldn't be surprising.

He hesitated to ask his next question, seeing a hint of... panic lurking in her expression, but he decided to press on. "Let's go back a bit farther," he said. "Tell me what you remember about the night of the storm."

She tried to remember and the effort made her feel like trembling.

"The night you met Kazuma," Hari reminded, in case she needed some prompting. Perhaps she did a prompt, he thought as he took her wrist in his and felt her pulse. "Tell me what you remember."

It was raining as they walked home from school. Kyo seemed out of sorts, low on energy and she had worried, but Yuki had told her not to worry. He was always like this on rainy days. They somehow sapped him of his energy. She'd offered to let him share her umbrella but he'd refused. And any other suggestions were put down as well.

By the time they'd reached the house, the rain had stopped and Kyo was fine, until he learned that Kagura was there. He tried to keep her inside by holding the door but it didn't work. They'd argued but it had ended well, after Shigure sent them off to the store, on a date. He sent Yuki and Tohru off as well. They'd gone to the secret base and just talked

They got home before Kyo and Kagura had, but not by much. The two were holding hands as they walked up, though Kyo quickly tried to make her stop once they'd arrived. He'd stopped walking once he realized they weren't alone. His master, Kazuma, had come for a visit. Introductions had been made and everything seemed to be going well, until Shigure tried to get Kyo to talk.

Kyo had walked off, going to his room. Kazuma had followed him. Tohru didn't know what had gone on between them. She was busy washing dishes with Kagura. She learned from her that Kazuma was practically the only father Kyo really had. It had given her a lot to think about.

As the evening wore on, she cleaned house and worked on her homework, watching out the window as the sky darkened and the clouds thickened again. Kazuma came downstairs and asked to speak with her.

"I wonder if you might be so good as to loan me a moment of your time this evening."

She didn't know why he'd wanted to talk to her and she couldn't really tell what his expression was. His hair hung over his face, keeping it partly concealed, and his expression was similar to one Hatori usually had on his face. She wasn't sure if it was a Sohma trait or just a reflection of his mood. But she'd agreed to spend some time with him during the evening.

She finished up her chores and her homework and decided to go outside for a stroll before she was to meet with Kazuma. She took her umbrella because the rain had started to come down again. As she was rounding the corner of the house, going towards the front, she saw Kyo and Kazuma standing, facing each other in the rain.

Kazuma held Kyo's wrist, the one he wore his beads on. She'd always wondered about the beads but had never asked about them. And Kyo looked like he was trying to run away, fear etched on his face, his eyes wide in horror as Kazuma slipped the beads from his wrist. She couldn't take her eyes off of him.

The rain began to steam, hissing around him as he hunched over as if in pain, but she couldn't move. Her feet had grown roots and her eyes would not focus on anything else, other than Kyo's hunched form.

Her heart pounded, but she didn't know why. And then Kyo looked up and...

"It's all right," Hatori was saying, though she wasn't sure just how many times he'd said it because she felt he kept repeating it to her, over and over again as tears streamed down her face. She realized that her breath was coming in gasps.

Tohru shuddered, her legs drawn up to her chest in fetal position. "I don't remember. I don't remember," she sobbed. Her heart pounded as she stared at the far wall with unseeing eyes. Sweat beaded on her face.

She was running after him, running after Kyo, then she was falling. She'd lost a sandal in the mud. The other stuck in the ground, near the tree root that had tripped her. And she sobbed. Her body turned itself inside out, retching, emptying the contents of her stomach, but she didn't know why. Fear clenched her and wouldn't let go. Her entire body was fighting against itself and she couldn't control it.

In her mind, she called out his name, unable to understand why he'd run, why she was going after him. Why she felt so afraid...

"No," she sobbed and Hatori cleaned up her vomit, gently washing her face. He stripped away the soiled bedding and put it aside. He checked her eyes but she didn't react, too deeply caught in the memory of something she didn't really remember to respond. Her heart was beating too quickly. She was almost hyperventilating.

From across the room, Yuki stirred in his sleep, waking because of the sound of her voice. "Miss Honda," he said weakly, hearing the anguish in her voice "What is it?" He tried to sit up but couldn't sit up any more then he already was, the pillows behind him propping him up in a reclining position. His face was pale. "What's wrong with her," he asked when he didn't get an answer.

Hatori looked over to Yuki. Seeing Tohru like this would only upset him more, he was sure. "It's nothing. She's only dreaming," he said and quickly pulled out a syringe and some medication from his pocket. He quickly filled the needle and injected the serum into Tohru's bloodstream.

"What are you doing," Yuki asked, trying to get out of bed.

"Don't even think about it," Hari said quickly, seeing him struggling out of the corner of his eye. "I'm giving her a sedative, to help her sleep without dreams," he added, to mollify him. "Don't worry. She'll be all right. In fact, she's probably better off than you are at the moment."

He disposed of the needle and waited for the medication to take affect. It didn't take long. It was potent and soon Tohru was once again asleep, shivering only slightly as he pulled new blankets over her. But before he allowed himself time to worry about her reactions and her memories, he turned to check on Yuki.

"How do you feel," he asked him as he listened to his lungs and heart. "Any tightness?"

Yuki nodded. "A little," he confessed. He felt a little dizzy as well. Seeing the expression that had been on Tohru's face... some kind of panic... tore at him.

"I've talked with Ayame and asked him to keep his distance," Hari said, trying to distract him. "He regrets having sprung his inaccurate news on you and hopes that you will forgive him."

Yuki clenched his fist. "You can tell him that next time he says anything like that I'll do more than knock him over."

Hari raised his eyebrows. "You might want to try relaxing," he said. "Getting angry at your brother will only make matters worse. I don't want to have to sedate you as well." He was glad he'd diverted his thoughts from Tohru but was almost sorry he'd given him another reason to be upset. But Yuki's fist relaxed and he sighed.

"I'm sorry. I just," he let out his breath. "I just wish he would actually think before he said anything. I know he's trying."

"Try to remember that then," Hari replied. "I have a few things to do before anything else happens. I don't expect Tohru to wake again for a few hours, at least. If you like, I can have one of the cousins bring your schoolwork so that you don't get behind."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Outside, it had begun to rain, gently but persistently as Haru walked towards Hatori's house. He almost felt like some kind of spy, deciding to aim for the back entrance instead of the main one. He was so absorbed in being quiet that he didn't realize he wasn't alone, running smack dab into Akito who swore loudly.

"Look where you're going," she yelled at him. Her face was filled with rage, but more that she'd been discovered then that anyone had run into her.

"Look where I'm going?" Haru took a step back, his muscles twitching. "You should watch where you're going." He wasn't afraid of his head of house, even if everyone else was.

Akito screamed at him. "This is unacceptable! I demand an apology!"

Haru growled at her, pulling back into a fighting stance, Black Haru emerging. "You want an apology? Huh? I'll give you an apology!" He pulled back his fist and let swing.

"HATSUHARU!"

He recoiled, inches from hitting Akito's face, more from surprise than anything else. Akito's eyes were filled with flames as she prepared to lunge.

"AKITO!"

They both turned to the open door, glaring at Hatori. Akito snorted in disdain as Haru drew himself tautly together. The rain pelted a staccato rhythm against the shingles as the three stood facing each other in silence.

"Haru, inside, now." He pointed to the open door to make sure Haru knew what he meant. His voice brooked no argument. "What for me in my office."

Haru glared at Akito, then brushed past Hatori on his way inside. There was no point in throwing out a parting remark.

Akito drew herself together, pulling her thoughts inward and deciding that she didn't want any more of a scene then was already created, even though her emotions were still raw with anger. She glared at the hair covering his mostly blind eye. She'd done that and the stark reminder served as a reminder. She pulled her fists into the folds of her robe. Hatori couldn't know she'd been spying on him, that she knew about his conversation with Tohru. She wasn't entirely sure what it meant, herself, but she needed time to mull it over before she confronted Hatori about any of it. She'd have to play her hand carefully.

"Akito," Hatori said sternly. "You shouldn't be outside like this, in the rain." He noticed that she still had deep circles under her eyes. Apparently she still couldn't sleep, despite the pills, or she wasn't taking them. He sighed.

She glared at him, more for the sake of keeping up appearances than for any other reason. "What I do is none of your business," she said in her most domineering voice.

"When it concerns your health, it is," he replied evenly. "You should be inside, resting." He stressed the last word. "You may have escaped this disease so far, but if you are not careful, you will not escape it for long. Do you want to die an early death?"

She pulled back abruptly inside herself, doing her best to keep that fact invisible to his trained eyes. She was destined to die young anyway, even if the idea frightened her. But she could not let him know that. "I will do what pleases me," she said, her eyes gleaming with her overly smug grin. "And it pleases me to leave you in the rain." She turned abruptly, resisting a suddenly ridicules urge to stick out her tongue, and headed to the main house, walking with a deliberate sway to her steps. She wondered what his reaction to that was but held off on the temptation to find out. Perhaps tomorrow she would "innocently" ask about Tohru's condition, on how her memories were. After all, she had to keep up appearances.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kazuma sipped his tea. It had been another long day at the dojo and he was glad for the diversion of tea with Hatori. He set the cup down with a contented sigh. "As usual, your tea is excellent," he said. "I never tire of coming here."

Hatori smiled mirthlessly. "Don't over do it," he warned. "I might actually think it a compliment."

Kazuma swirled the tealeaves in his cup. "I heard that Yuki is now here. He hasn't—"

"No," Hatori quickly said. "It was his asthma, no thanks to Ayame."

"That Ayame," Kazuma said, shaking his head. "What did he do this time?"

Hatori poured more tea, carefully setting the pot down before he spoke. "He told Yuki things he knew nothing about, things he'd overheard at the main house. About Tohru."

"What about Tohru?" He leaned forward.

"Akito found out about Tohru's breathing problem," Hatori sighed. "He... expressed his own opinions about her... near death experience and Ayame overheard the end of the conversation."

Kazuma nodded with understanding. He'd heard about the incident when Tohru had stopped breathing. "And how is she now?"

"Still sleeping," he answered. "I had to give her a sedative earlier. I thought it was a good time to explore her memories, see what she did and did not remember." He took a sip of his own tea.'

"And?"

Hari took a deep breath. He knew Kazuma wouldn't tell anyone. He hadn't mentioned anything about his concerns for her to anyone. It was, in a way, fortunate, though he wasn't sure how everything would turn out if she never did remember... certain things.

"The two weeks following her... interview with Akito are intact," he finally admitted. "It's that time between that incident and your intervention with Kyo that I'm not so sure about. She recalled most of the events of that night, her time with Yuki, and your visit. She even remembers being out in the rain when you took Kyo's beads, but beyond that..."

Kazuma walked over to Hatori, his own cup in hand, eyes filled with concern. "What is it, Hari?"

He stood and drained his cup. "I believe she is blocking any memory of Kyo in his original form. She knows that something happens that frightened her. I didn't try to press. But there will come a time when I might have to."

Kazuma looked to the ground. How would it affect Kyo if Tohru never did remember that night and how she'd accepted him despite everything? What would it do to their relationship? What would it do to her? Would she wake during the night, remembering but not remembering? He couldn't imagine the pain something like that might cause. To have to accept one's fear twice, to overcome... it was a hard thing to ask of anyone.


	14. Chapter 14

Yuki had dozed for a time after Hatori had left, and though someone had brought him his schoolwork, probably Haru, he now felt no desire to work on it. He couldn't get out of his head the expression on Tohru's face before Hari had given her medication to make her sleep. If she had been having a nightmare, it was the kind that made you afraid to sleep at night.

Was that the kind of nightmares that Kyo was stuck in? Even now, he could hear him muttering in his sleep, groaning and coughing. It would have been a pitiful sight had he not been so sick, Yuki was sure, but he couldn't make fun of him for it.

Hari had come in not too long ago to check on everyone. He'd given Kyo another dose of medication. He'd quieted for a while, but apparently his nightmares were getting the best of him again because he was starting to talk in his sleep again.

"No," Kyo said as he turned in his sleep, almost rocking from side to back to side again. "Please... It's me. Don't you remember?"

Yuki sat up, trying to listen to the words that were more faint, wondering if he dared leave his bed. Hari had been fairly strict about his staying down for at least another day. But then Hari wasn't there and the door was mostly closed. He'd have some kind of warning if he came.

As quietly as he could, he slid out from under the bedding, taking care not to tangle his breathing tube. He wasn't sure if it was entirely necessary at this point but Hari didn't like to take those kinds of chances. He tiptoed towards Kyo's bed, dragging his oxygen tank with him, hoping he'd be able to get it back before Hari noticed.

His body shook a little with the effort but he wasn't about to stop now that he'd started. He took the last few steps to the chair and sat down, taking a moment or two to calm his beating heart and to force himself to take slow, longer breaths so that he didn't hyperventilate. Breathing mostly under control, he slid the chair closer to Kyo's bed.

Kyo flung out a hand, almost hitting Yuki's knee, his fist clenched. It was the hand with the beads around the wrist. He whimpered slightly and rolled over, coughing roughly and groaned. "Not that... rat. Please."

Yuki didn't know what he was talking about but figured it had something to do with him. "Kyo," he whispered. "Kyo, wake up." He knew that if Hatori caught him now, he'd definitely be in hot water.

"You da... you da... rat! Leave her alone!" He rolled over to face Yuki, fists clenching the bedding. "Tohru..." he broke out into coughing again and anything he tried to say during that was lost.

Yuki tried to piece together what he'd heard. It's me. Don't you remember? Not that... rat. Tohru. What was he dreaming about?

Kyo suddenly sat up as if he'd woken, his eyes open but they were glazed and didn't see anything, like those who sleep while awake. "Tohru," he said quite clearly. "Not Tohru!" And he felt back against the pillows, clearly exhausted, panting like he'd just run a marathon, and coughing. There was always the coughing. He raised his hand weakly, as though he were reaching for something or someone. "Please... Tohru. Don't forget me. Don't... forget me." His voice faded as his arm went back down, as though every last bit of energy had just drained from him.

Yuki continued to sit in the chair, his expression troubled. Was Kyo afraid that Tohru would somehow forget him? But why would he fear something like that?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Shigure sat at his desk, glasses on, hand pressed against his temple as he tried to think. His computer sat in front of him, a blank screen waiting for him to type. He folded his arms and looked at the screen, then unfolded them. He picked up a pencil, stuck it between his nose and lips, holding it there, then put it back down.

"Could someone please make some noise or something? I'm finding it hard to concentrate without a little drama," he called out. He stopped fidgeting as he remembered. "Oh, that's right. I'm the only one home."

He stood up and headed for the kitchen. The dishes were still piling up and the garbage definitely needed to be taken out. It was a pigsty. He wrinkled his nose at it. "Someone really should take care of this," he said to himself. "Before too long it will look just like it did before Tohru came."

He stopped in thought. "Hmmm... I suppose I could always go over and visit." He opened the refrigerator and looked inside. There were a few cartons of take out that were probably going bad, some curdled milk in a bottle, and a few things that might have once been peaches or some other fruit. Anything else inside was definitely not edible. He closed the fridge quickly and sighed, his stomach rumbling.

"Oh how I miss Tohru's cooking. It's no fun being on one's own." He headed for the front area, putting on his sandals and making sure to wrap up. His own strep seemed to be mostly gone, but Hatori would have kittens if he saw him out without some covering.

With a look of determination on his face, Shigure headed away from the house, going towards town. As he walked he thought about the past events. He'd probably better check on both Kyo and Yuki while he was at it. And thinking of Yuki, he looked towards his "secret base" and stopped.

"Hello, what's this," he said and walked over to see what was going on.

Arisa and Hana were both pulling up weeds with Haru.

"What's going on," Shigure asked and the three stopped in surprise.

Haru nodded in greeting. "We thought we'd do something useful, since everyone's still sick," he said.

"It's for Tohru," Hana added. "I can't begin to imagine how it will make her feel if she knew her plants were being neglected."

"Besides," Arisa continued, "the Prince asked us if we'd do it, before his asthma and everything, so we thought why not?"

Shigure blinked a few times. "Well I'll be," was about all he could say. He half wondered if they'd clean up the house if he asked, for Tohru's sake, but he smiled brightly instead of asking. "I was just on my way to the store. It would seem that I'm out of milk and it's hard to write without something to eat."

"You wouldn't happen to be going to see Tohru while you're at it, would you," Arisa asked.

"Who? Tohru?" He fidgeted nervously. "No, of course not. Why do you ask?"

"It's just a question," she retorted. "You don't have to act so guilty, unless you got something to hide." She raised her eyebrows meaningfully at him, her smile a Cheshire grin that would have done Kyo proud.

"Yes, what can you tell us about her condition," Hana added. "Without Yuki to tell us, we haven't had much news." She didn't add that Yuki rarely told them more then he absolutely had to.

"Oh... um... I believe she's doing better," Shigure said. "Not quite up to visitors yet." He laughed uncomfortably. "So, you see, I couldn't possibly be going to see her. I'm just going to see the family doctor so he can tell me if I'm dying or not."

"I thought you said you were going to the store," Arisa brought up.

"Right you are." He began to edge away.

Haru laughed. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say he had to use the bathroom. Come on, these weeds won't pull themselves."

Shigure continued to edge away, disappearing behind the trees as he did so. Arisa and Haru started weeding again. Hana disappeared.

Shigure continued on his interrupted path, humming a bit uneasily to himself. Arisa's words had definitely made him uncomfortable, though he was glad they were taking care of the garden while Yuki and Tohru couldn't. After a minute or two, however, he started to feel better about things and his humming became more cheerful.

Someone stepped suddenly out of the trees and he stopped in his track. "Ah!" He put a hand up to his chest, panting a bit. "Don't do that," he admonished.

Hana stood in front of him. "I did not mean to frighten you," she said. "I did not think it wise to speak before, for Arisa's sake."

"Isn't that nice," Shigure said and edged over to the farther side of the path. "If you don't mind..."

"I know that Tohru is better," she said. "But I also know that she is still in a lot of pain. There is something that she must do before it will leave her, but she is afraid."

"Huh?" Shigure stopped and stared at her. "What do you mean?"

"From the night of the storm, when the rain came pelting down and she stayed out all night," Hana began, almost chanting. "We found her at her mother's grave, weeping. I did not understand why Arisa and I had gone there, to find her. I only know that I could not stay home. Tohru needed me, to push her, to make her face her fears."

"I'm not sure I get where you're going with this," Shigure said, trying to laugh but not succeeding.

"I didn't understand but I knew that there was something she needed to do, something that only she could do," she continued as if he hadn't spoken. "She is still the only one who can. And since I cannot be there for her, she will need someone to push her, to help her see what she knows she must do."

She turned her face to the ground and closed her eyes, like she was holding back tears. "It isn't just for her. It's for all of us. We all have an interest in her well being, and her accepting what she must... it is more than I can say. I wish I could express what I know, but I cannot. It pains me to know that I cannot say."

He looked at her, his mouth slightly open in surprise and shock, not sure what she was getting at, or what she meant, for that matter.

She looked up at him again, her eyes bright but free of tears. "Arisa does not understand and so I can only hope that you will, that you will be there for her when I cannot because it would seem that Yuki is unable to be there for her because of his own troubles."

He blinked a few times. Blink. Blink. Blink.

"I must return, before Arisa begins to wonder where I've gone." She turned and slipped back into the trees, leaving Shigure blinking after her.

"That is one seriously...strange girl," he said and turned back in the direction he'd started, towards town.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tohru slept. Perhaps she did not wake because of the sedative Hatori had given her the day before. It had been potent; though he hadn't thought it would be that potent. As far as he knew, she hadn't even stirred during the night, though he wondered about that and whether or not she had dreamed. His piercing eyes sought out any change in her complexion that might give him a clue, listening to her breathing and her heart before turning his attention to another patient.

Yuki was doing all right, a bit better than before, though his bronchial tubes were still too tight, making it still hard to breath. He wondered what he'd been up to during the night and only sighed. Yuki wasn't likely telling, and since he'd found no actual evidence to suggest he'd been up and about without permission, he had little to go on, except suspicion. It seemed like he'd put in a little too much effort recently and he didn't like it. But Hari had had to sleep too.

"You needn't stare at me," Yuki told Hatori who was standing practically over him, his arms crossed, one hand under his chin as he contemplated.

Hari didn't stop staring though, despite Yuki's protests. "How long were you awake last night?" He noted that Yuki was still a bit too pale, like he'd over exerted himself, only increasing his suspicions.

"I tried to do some homework," Yuki recalled. "Then I just lay here and contemplated for maybe an hour or two." He hoped that didn't sound too...rehearsed.

"Contemplating what?" Hari dropped his hands to the pockets of his white coat. He wondered if he'd decided to try and eavesdrop on him and Kazuma last night. It wasn't entirely like Yuki, something Kyo would be more likely to do, but still. He couldn't think of any other explanation, unless he'd just been unable to sleep.

Yuki looked around, his eyes falling on Tohru. Wondering about Kyo last night had led to thoughts of Tohru. Telling Hatori as much wouldn't be an outright lie. "Miss Honda," he said. "I wondered... I wondered what kind of dreams she must have been having to react as she did yesterday." Should he mention Kyo speaking out in his own dreams or leave that quiet? He wasn't sure, a sense of loyalty to the cat filling him, though he wasn't really sure why.  
"I see," Hari said, pulling the chair away from Kyo's bed and setting it next to Yuki's. If he hadn't known any better, he might have thought it was closer to Kyo's bed this morning. There was something else, he was sure. "Anything else?" His tone was more commanding then curious.

Yuki hesitated, knowing that Hatori had seen that hesitation. It would do no good to hide that part, at least. "Well, I also thought about Kyo. I heard him call out a few times, mostly nonsense." At least he hadn't outright lied, telling most of the truth. He knew it would only make Hari mad if he knew he'd been up and about when he shouldn't be.

Hari raised his eyebrows. "Mostly?"

Yuki tried to think how to best portray the situation, without giving too much away. He still wasn't used to expressing his own feelings. "He called out Miss Honda's name a few times. He said something about... not wanting someone to do something." You owe me, you stupid cat, he thought.

"Hmmm," Hatori started to say something but was interrupted by Shigure entering the room, totally oblivious that he was interrupting something potentially important. Hari was lightly annoyed.

"There you are! I was beginning to wonder if everyone had gone out for the day." He stood by Yuki's cot, placing himself between Hari and the door.

"Now why would I do something like that," Hari asked dryly.

"Come now, Hatori. You know what I meant." He turned to look at Yuki. "Good morning Yuki. How's our dear Tohru this morning? You might find it interesting to know that her friends, along with Haru no less, are weeding your little garden probably as we speak."

"What?" Yuki sat up quickly, his eyes wide with shock. That was his secret base!

Hari leaned forward and pressed him back against the pillows. "No you don't. You are to lie still while I look Shigure over."

"Really, Hatori, is that necessary? I feel fine." Shigure put his hands up in protest. He hadn't come for a checkup, after all.

"Sometimes I can't help but wonder," Hari turned and took out a thermometer, sticking it in Shigure's mouth before he could utter another word. He quickly gave him a look over while Yuki tried to laugh only lightly at Shigure's stricken face, thermometer still between his lips.

"Can I remove this yet," he asked around the piece of glass. "Really, it's been long enough, don't you think?"

Hari ignored him and checked his blood pressure.

"Come on, Hatori," Shigure tried again. "It's starting to hurt trying to hold this here."

Hari sighed and took the thermometer, looking it over, then returning it to its case. "You complain far to much," he said. "But at least you'll live."

"Are you sure," Shigure asked. "I mean, last time you said I might die." He threw a hand up to his forehead, trying to ham it up and make his friend smile, without too much success. "Of course, it would have sounded better that way to my editor," he added realistically. "Not that you'd have given me a note even if I had been."

"You're right," he responded.

Shigure did a mock swoon. "Hatori! How cruel!"

He shook his head. "You never learn, do you? Being ill is not something you should take lightly."

Tohru stirred in her sleep at just that moment, rolling over to her side and let out a delicate little snore, but only one.

"Perhaps we should be more quiet," Hari observed. "Tohru had quite a shock yesterday."

Shigure blinked. "How do you mean?"

Hari looked at Yuki, who was paying very strict attention to the conversation, probably straining too much by doing so. "She had a very disturbing dream," he said, though Yuki noted that his eyes were downcast, as though he wasn't exactly telling the truth either. It made him wonder just what was going on behind those eyes.

"But she is doing better, right?" Shigure hadn't noticed Hari's expression, his eyes still focused on Tohru. His thoughts were dwelling on what Hana had said earlier, about her needing his help somehow.

"I believe so." But wasn't his tone a bit downcast as well? Perhaps a bit unsure. What was Hatori hiding? Yuki narrowed his eyes ever so slightly as Hari turned back to Shigure. He was not an expert at reading people, but it was almost obvious that he wasn't telling everything he knew, but then he never really did and it was more than frustrating.

"And what about Kyo?" Shigure looked over to the screen.

Hari looked quickly over to Tohru and sighed in relief. She was still asleep. Yuki noticed though and wondered why Shigure didn't say anything. He had obviously seen that, right? Didn't they want Tohru to know about Kyo? Sure he'd been told to be quiet about it, afraid it might upset her, but to go to such trouble?

Shigure also glanced at Tohru, a little tense, but he seemed to relax when he realized that she hadn't woken up after all. "Sorry," he said. "I should've made sure she was asleep before mentioning anything."

"No harm done," Hari replied and went over to Kyo's bed, Shigure following. Yuki sat up a little, turning on his bed to see what was going on. His view was partially blocked by the screen.

Hari pulled up the chair and offered it to Shigure, preferring to stand. He looked at the monitor, checked the oxygen levels, and listened to his lungs. He shook his head slightly.

"What is it," Shigure asked.

Hari ran a hand through his hair. "It's the strangest case I've come against," he admitted. "Despite everything I do, nothing seems to help. If it weren't for his dreams, his not quite waking, I would diagnose that he was in a coma, but his mind is far to active for that. Whatever these dreams are that he keeps having, they are keeping him from recovering. And while they continue, his body refuses to heal."

Shigure's expression fell, his lips down turned. Kyo caused plenty of problems, it was true, but he'd had enough hardship in life. It wasn't fair that he had to go through this as well. "Isn't there something we can do?"

"If there is, I haven't found it yet. But I'm not going to give up, not yet." He turned and left the room. Shigure watched him go. He rested his elbows on his knees, chin in his hands. He seemed completely unaware of anyone else in the room. "Please, Kyo. You may not believe it, but we all need you, and perhaps Tohru most of all. Isn't it enough that she's already accepted you?"

He stood up with a sigh, looking at Yuki as he headed out. Yuki had quickly lain back down, pretending he hadn't witnessed the exchange. "I hope you feel better soon," Shigure said to him almost absently and left.

So that's it, Yuki thought. That must be it. He's afraid that she will forget everything, that she accepted him, despite his original form. I don't understand how or why she would, but I see it in Hari's eyes as well. That must be the reason why.

He looked at Tohru. It was ironic, in a way, that so many things depended on her, that so many had so much faith and hope in her. She really had been a ray of cleansing sunshine to them all, opening their hearts and healing the deep scars kept too long from the light. What if, for some reason, she didn't remember? It didn't matter why. But just knowing that there was the possibility, if he'd been in Kyo's place, wouldn't he have been trapped just as surely as Kyo was trapped by his dreams?


	15. Chapter 15

The sun had gone down some time ago. The lanterns outside cast shadows as their light fell through the slits of the window screens. The house was quiet. Hatori was in his room, sitting and contemplating.

Tohru hadn't woken up at all during the day and it had worried him. What if she slipped into dreams like Kyo had? And if she did dream, they would be dreams of her memories, nightmares of what part of her tried so hard to block out. The only thing he could think to do to help her was to erase those memories, but that wouldn't be fair to her or to anyone else, not after everything they'd all been through. It would break Kyo's heart.

He crossed his legs, sitting Indian style, and wondered. In another hour or two, he would go back to check on all three of them. He'd thought Tohru had felt a little too warm the last time he'd gone in to check on them but he hadn't bothered to bring out the thermometer, hoping it was just his imagination. If she still felt too warm when he went back, he'd definitely check to make sure. But at the moment he was tired.

He took his alarm clock in his hands and set it to go off in an hour, just in case. He then leaned back against the sheets, his eyes closing. It would be nice when things were mostly back to normal and he could get a decent night's sleep, but for now, he dozed.

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It was raining, thick sheets of moisture as she stood out in the elements. Her expression was unreadable as she stared into the darkness. A slight smug grin tucked at the corners of her lips as her eyes focused on the girl leaning weakly against a tree, her knees bent under her, one sandal missing, the other dug into the mud. She was clearly upset, her body shaking with revulsion that somehow satisfied Akito. Wasn't that what she'd wanted?

She slowly walked forward and sat down on a fallen branch, talking quietly to her, softly mocking her pain. Telling her it served her right, that she had no claim on her family, that she should leave me or suffer. Resentment bubbled up in her as she spoke, but also a feeling of smugness that bordered on satisfaction. She'd pictured it happening like this, knowing that Tohru wouldn't be able to accept Kyo, not after she'd seen his original form. Who could?

She lifted her face to let the rain fall freely down her skin, basking in Tohru's pain. But deep inside, she felt a twinge of some feeling she'd tried so hard to repress her entire life, a pain she thought she'd buried with her father's body so many years ago that she almost couldn't remember them. At least something she'd tried valiantly to hide because of her mother...

"I will make you suffer as we suffer," she yelled at Tohru, as if it were her fault the memories were drudged up, that she felt this pain. Her lips and eyes were hard, angry. How dare this... girl come and bring back the painful past with her?

"Akito!"

She turned, covering her emotions over with the façade of smugness as she recognized the voice calling at her. Shigure stood more then a dozen feet away, but his expression was pained and only reminded her of her own pain. She'd met his gaze with scorn, flippantly accusing him of the situation, the pouring rain, and tried to calmly if not haughtily to walk away, back to the safe confines of her dark car where it was safe for her to rage or cry.

But the moment she opened the car door and slid into the seat, she found herself standing in the large room of the Main House where Tohru, Yuki, Hatori, and Shigure had come only a few days later, all kneeling in front of her. And she was yanking Tohru's beautiful hair so hard, she thought, that tears stung Tohru's cheeks and she laughed because of it.

But Tohru wasn't crying because of that pain. "It must have been very painful, Akito, being told from the day you were born, that you're going to die. It must have been so painful."

She was shocked. It was the last thing she'd expected to hear coming from Tohru's mouth, pity for her. She tried desperately to keep from flying apart as Tohru continued, yanking harder on her hair, panic welling up inside her as Tohru talked about how they'd all be sad when she was gone. She grasped onto that and tried to use it as an excuse to be angry, anything to keep from feeling the other emotions welling up inside her.

"Who's going to be sad? They all hope I'll be gone quickly." Bitterness burned on her tongue as part of her realized it was probably true. And this bile fueled her on, revealing more then she intended to in the heat of her panic and pain. "I was born in order to die. That's what was decided!" And again, Tohru's reaction was not what she expected.

"But why? Who decided it had to be like that? Akito, right now, you're alive."

"Alive?" Inside her, a million emotions conflicted with each other, her mind running faster then a speeding car. Could someone really feel the way Tohru professed to feel? "You call this being alive? They never even asked me!"

And around them, with Yuki and Shigure holding her back from doing something outright foolish, she felt them stiffen in surprise at her words. Had they never once considered her feelings then? Had they never once wondered? Did it really take someone like Tohru to open up their eyes? Raw anger filled her, anger and a sense of despair; despair because her mother was right. They would be happier when she was gone and the thought only fueled her recklessness.

"Hatori! I want you to erase this girl's memory. Do it now. Hatori!" But deep inside, she knew that wouldn't ease the pain, that nothing would lock back up the box Tohru had somehow managed to open in her heart, a box she'd carefully kept closed all these years. And even as she called for Hatori to perform his unique ability, he sat in too much shock to do anything.

And Tohru continued to cry, spilling her guts about her mother and how she'd wished she hadn't died, how she missed her and all Akito could think to say was to command her to stop crying, desperation filling her breast as a sense of horror filled her that somehow this girl had so completely gained some kind of control over her, had formed some kind of bond with her while she wasn't looking. It was a weakness she couldn't afford to show.

But Tohru wasn't giving up. "I'm happy," she said. "I'm happy that I know you, Akito. And I don't regret knowing you or anyone, not at all. I want to know you. Please, tell me how you feel."

I'm happy that I know you. How she'd longed to hear someone, anyone, say those words, after a life so filled with the poison and fear of others. She hadn't been taught any other way. How long had it been since she'd really felt like someone loved her? She didn't know, didn't know if she dared trust that possibility now.

"The important thing is that you're alive."

She'd missed something, knew that she had, but she couldn't go back and ask her to repeat it. The shock to her system, of learning that someone could love her, and do it of their own free will, was too overpowering. She let Tohru's hair slip through her fingers, straightening her posture in shock as Yuki and Shigure relaxed their grip on her arms. In a desperate need to feel some sense of control, to still assert herself as the authority, she harshly pushed them off, taking a step or two back as they all stared at her in shock, all but Tohru whose eyes were almost pleading, trying to communicate something important.

Akito stared into space, trying to let the feelings inside her sort themselves out, to try and understand. She stood for a long time, contemplating. "I don't know," she finally said, and with that she woke up.

Moisture wet her cheeks and she brushed at them, wondering if the roof was leaking, then realized that the water came from her own eyes. She hugged her blankets tightly to her chest and stared at the ceiling. Her clock said it was somewhere around two in the morning. The rest of the house was probably still asleep. It was too early for even the most industrious servants to be awake.

She rolled over onto her side and stared at the wall, recalling the conversation she and Shigure had had earlier in the day, shortly after he'd come back from Hatori's.

"I ran into one of Tohru's friends," he'd told her.

She'd pretended mild interest. "Oh?"

"It was the strangest thing," he confessed, probably unsure about telling her because he hesitated as they sat on the long porch. "It was Miss Hanajima and she tried to convince me that there was something Tohru needed to do but that she was afraid."

Akito had frozen at that. Half formed ideas filled her mind, recalling things she'd heard while listening to her and Kyo dreaming, eavesdropping when Hatori had probed her about what she did and did not remember.

"She seemed to think it was up to me to push her since she couldn't be there," he'd continued, unaware of the reaction he'd caused. "I got the feeling she knew where Tohru is but wouldn't trespass. I know her other friend would have no problems with just marching into the house and demanding to see her."

Akito had snorted at that idea, sure that she'd be stopped before she'd gotten too far. But part of her had worried if something like that might be attempted, how things would fair, if the family secret would be revealed to too many outsiders.

"She seems to think that Tohru needs someone to be there for her," Shigure continued thoughtfully. "But I don't know that I can do what she wants."

She could see that he was torn, between loyalty to her and to Tohru. But his loyalty to herself was stronger, forged longer and she knew he wouldn't do anything without her permission.

"Let matters be," she'd said. "Let us see just how strong Tohru Honda really is." She'd said it with an edge of malice but now she felt a sense of regret for that malice. Especially after the dream.

She's afraid.

And Akito knew exactly why she was afraid. It was because of her. Hadn't listening to her speak in her sleep told her as much? And knowing that she didn't remember seeing Kyo transform, their confrontation at the Main House...

Akito hunched over in pain, but not physical pain. Tohru had shown her that despite everything she'd done, she was still worth loving. What if Tohru forgot about all of that? Would it change how she felt if she didn't remember that exchange? Akito knew it would change how it made herself feel and she didn't know if she could live with that.

She glanced at the clock again, feeling a sense of panic welling up in her that she didn't understand. Despite how she acted, despite how much she lied about it, she did care. And she had to do something to help her. She at least had to try, before her sense of connection to her faded once again, drowned by habits long formed.

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Tohru was running, running through the rain. Her breath came in gasps as she tried to not trip on the roots. The rain had been coming down for some time and the ground was saturated with it, the mud churning under her sandaled feet, exposing tree roots as she ran through them. She had to find Kyo and yet she was afraid to.

I will make you suffer.

She shied away from the voice, the laughter that followed it, heading in a different direction. It was herding her, herding her away from her goal.

You think you know what it means to be cursed?

She tripped on a tree root, falling to her knees.

I alone carry the full weight of the Zodiac curse. Did they really think you would be able to miraculously save us, somehow?

She saw a flash of brown color as something ran away, ran from in front of Shigure's house. Her umbrella had flown up with the speed with which it had fled. What was it? It made her stomach churn, her eyes to open wide with fright. What was that monster?

I'm going to make you regret you were ever involved with us. I'm gong to make you suffer, the way we suffer.

"Hana," she whispered, shivering in the driving rain. Hadn't this been when she'd started to feel ill? Walking alone in the dark? Alone in the cold? Where was everyone?

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Hana woke from a sound sleep and sat up in the dark, her eyes focused on something outside the room. The first thing to come to mind was her conversation with Shigure, asking him to help Tohru, knowing, even as she asked him, that he wouldn't be able to give her the help she needed, but she hoped that the fragments of silk she'd felt on him, the lingering traces of the presence of another individual, would be able to.

"Hana."

She closed her eyes, thoughts drifting to the call that had woken her, Tohru's call to her for help. She knew where Tohru was, or at least the general area, Sohma House. But she also knew that she couldn't break the obvious taboo about the place to outsiders. It made her wonder why Tohru had been allowed inside, but that wasn't the important issue at the moment.

Eyes still closed, she reached out with her abilities, seeking for some glimpse of her friend, for some insight on how her attempts to help her had faired. She was sure that Shigure had mentioned the encounter to the woman whose lingering presence on his skin she'd felt. This woman was a powerful figure, she was sure, and probably just as afraid of life as Tohru was afraid of remembering, of doing what she had to do.

She cast herself outward, like a dark shadow or vapor that didn't really exist, a presence that could only be felt by those who knew what they were looking for, or as a tingling up the spine to those who did not. Tohru was in trouble; that much she knew, and it all stemmed from the night she and Arisa had found her at her mother's grave. She didn't entirely understand it but knew that it somehow had to do with where she was now and with whom this woman was whose presence suddenly filled her mind as her psyche found its way to Tohru. She couldn't outright reach Tohru though. Tohru's mind was closed to her while she fought inside. She'd thought it would be that way.

But this woman near her... She could feel the inner struggle inside her and knew, at the same time, that there wasn't much she could do if this woman couldn't come to grips with her own demons and do what she knew she must as well. But she could let her own psyche overshadow her and see where things went from there. She sensed that somehow this woman was the key to the secrets she knew Tohru was keeping, as well as those around her.

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"No!" The darkness was filled with panting as Kyo tossed in his bed, tangling himself up in the blankets. "Tohru!"

She was lying lifeless on the ground and he couldn't wake her. "No, Tohru. Don't leave me!" He shook her by the shoulders, willing her to open her eyes but they didn't open. There was blood everywhere.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She was hunched over her mother's grave, tears falling as quickly as the rain.

"Go...Tohru...there's somewhere you need to be... You have to go!"

She looked up and saw...Akito standing over her. But not Akito. His form was transparent and there was someone else standing behind him. Someone wearing a dark cloak, like Hana's.

"There's something you have to do... You're the only one who can."

I alone carry the full weight of the Sohma curse. Did they really think you would be able to miraculously save us, somehow?

"You know I'm right. This isn't something we can help you with. We can't!"

She saw Arisa standing back, standing out in the rain, but Akito and Hana, standing together, as though they were one person.

I only have a short time left to live... nothing can change that.

Kyo. Where was Kyo?

"It must have been very painful, Akito" she heard herself say. "Being told the day you were born that you were going to die. It must have been so painful."

I was born in order to die. That was what was decided. I will make you suffer.

But why?

She cried out in pain as Akito grabbed her by the hair and shook her.

"I don't belong there, with the Sohmas... I never did," she told Hana, the anguish clear in her voice. The scenes kept shifting in front of her that she wasn't sure where she was or who she was really talking to. Was it Akito or was it Hana?

There's something you have to do. Something you have to do. You're the only one who can.

It serves you right you know.

The words, all those words were coming from both Akito's and Hana's mouth, one mouth for two people, speaking as one but not.

"I can't!"

"Stand up! Tohru. Go now. Hurry."

"I can't!"

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Akito knelt by Tohru's bed, her eyes brimming with tears, tears she couldn't make stop as Tohru whispered the words she'd said to her no more then an hour ago in her dream. She didn't understand why Tohru called out in anguish, saying that she couldn't do something. She only wished she knew what that something was.

"Tohru," Akito said, and her voice cracked with the effort of saying her name. To say it without the formality of using her full name, to speak it in fear and possibly love instead of loathing was so new to her. She had her hands on Tohru's closest shoulder, shaking her, trying to wake her from the grips of her dreams. She was surprised that Hatori hadn't come, what with some of the louder exclamations Tohru made from her dreams, but Hatori had been soundly asleep when she'd slipped into the house and she hadn't wanted to disturb him. This was a battle that she had to fight for Tohru and she somehow knew that Hatori couldn't help, even if he'd wanted to.

Something was riding her, though she didn't know what, but she welcomed the strength it brought her.

"Tohru," came a more faint call from behind the screen and the pain in that call almost tore her heart out. "Not Tohru."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kyo struggled to not let the crushing weight of despair destroy him as Tohru looked at him with unseeing eyes. "I'm sorry," she said, "but I don't know who you are."

"You're scaring Miss Honda," Yuki said, pulling Tohru protectively closer to himself.

He didn't even look at his cousin. His eyes remained focused on Tohru's lovely face. "Please!"

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Hana continued to sit up in bed, almost as if she were in a trance, softly speaking words, the same words she'd said to Tohru that fateful night when this had all begun.

Her brother, Megumi, softly slid open the door and looked into the room, one more shadow in the darkness. He entered the room and quietly walked to her bed, sitting on the edge, staring at her, instinctly knowing not to disturb her.

"Stand up, Tohru," Hana whispered. "Go now. Hurry."

Megumi took his sister's hand and held it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"You have to get up." The words were out of her mouth before she even realized she'd spoken them. She almost felt as though someone else was speaking through her.

Tohru's weak, "I can't," only added to her desires to make her do what she wanted.

"You have to get up now. GET UP!" She almost yelled the command, completely unaware of the volume she was using, of the force behind her words. Everything outside the room seemed to be cloaked in a shroud of shadows.

Tohru sat up suddenly, her chest heaving, sweat damp on her face, and trembled violently.

It was dark and she saw a creature, a monster, just almost out of sight, a hideous monster with purple eyes glaring at her. She shrank back against the pillows. "No."

Akito cringed as the younger girl's eyes seemed to focus on her, eyes filled with fear. And she knew she'd lost. How could she have thought she'd be able to help her?

"Tohru." Her voice was filled with anguish, but she was not the only one who spoke.

The voice Tohru heard was faint. She couldn't tell where it was coming from. She looked in front of her, into the dark. The creature slunk behind the screen, leaving a faint trail of residual light behind it. Yuki was asleep on his cot. His face was peaceful.

"Tohru!"

She jerked her head towards the sound and her eyes fell on the screen. The monster was behind that screen. But the voice. It sounded like Kyo, faint and perhaps garbled, but still his voice.

"No... Tohru... Please."

She hesitated.

Akito saw the hesitation and almost dared to hope. In that hesitation she saw a spark of light, a desire to learn the truth of what she heard. It was enough. She took that moment.

There's something you have to do.

It sounded like a whisper, so low she couldn't tell who was speaking but she was reminded of the duo Akito/Hana figure, one transposed over the other.

She closed her eyes. "I can't do it."

"Tohru!" Kyo's call was louder, more urgent.

Her eyes watered. "Help me."

This isn't something we can help you with. We can't!

But why? Why Hana?

She clenched her blankets with trembling hands. The monster was behind the screen. But so was Kyo. She pushed the blankets away and stopped.

I admire your nerve.

She saw Akito standing by the screen, smiling with what she thought was a smug expression. What was he doing here? But he wasn't there. He couldn't be there. She blinked again to be sure, but her eyes saw nothing more than the screen in front of her. Kyo needed her.

She slipped a foot off the bed. It didn't matter that Hatori had said she wasn't to stand up without him being there. It didn't matter that her legs felt weak, that her heart beat too quickly. Kyo was behind that screen, with the monster. She had to see him, to make sure he was okay. To protect him.

She set her foot on the floor and trembled, but she was determined and set the other foot by it.

Did they really think you would be able to miraculously save us, somehow?

She stood and almost fell. She put a hand out on the bed, her legs trying to fold up under her.

It serves you right, you know.

She clenched her fist and forced herself to stand up right, her knees trembling.

The monster was behind the screen. She couldn't fail. She couldn't.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Akito watched as Tohru struggled with the inner demons, demons she'd created for her. She silently cheered when she'd attempted to stand, groaning inwardly as she fumbled, wondering why, but holding her breath as she tried again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It's okay... you don't have to...

It was Kyo's voice, speaking quietly from her memories.

If you're afraid...

She heard coughing coming from behind the screen. Was that who she'd heard the other night, instead of Yuki? Was it Kyo?

She took a step, her legs wobbly but she did not fall. She took another step, then another.

If you're afraid...

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Kyo gasped, feeling like he was drowning. He reached out his hand, reaching for her as the whirlpool of despair tried to suck him under, to claim him. But as he reached, he felt the same restraint used against him, the chains holding him back, his chest burning with the memory of the deep gouges he'd inflicted while trying to break away. He groaned with the remembered pain.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She took another step and reached the chair, holding to its back, supporting her weight on it. The screen was another step or two away. She couldn't see into the shadows, what was behind it, but she knew that the monster was there. And so was Kyo.

She took another step, her hands still on the chair and it rattled against the floor as she stumbled and almost sank to her knees.

"Kyo..."

He was breathing funny. And his coughing, it was harsh sounding. He groaned as if he were in pain.

"Kyo..."

She made herself crawl over to the bed whose outline she could barely see in the light from the windows, though her eyes were adjusting. Like cat eyes, Kyo's eyes. She saw him lying on the bed.

Don't look at me!

She was standing in front of the house, her umbrella in hand. She'd just come around the corner to see Kyo and Kazuma standing, facing each other. Kazuma had his hand on one of Kyo's wrists, the one with the beads.

Don't look at me!

But while her mind dredged up those words, his cracked lips spoke different ones. "Please, don't forget me."

Kazuma took the beads from Kyo's wrist and his eyes went wide with horror, watching as the beads flew up into the air. Then he hunched over, groaning in agony as steam hissed off of his transforming body. She couldn't tell what he was transforming into, and that he would transform was surprising because it wasn't the usual way he transformed.

There was no puff of smoke and an orange cat sitting in front of her. Instead, Kyo's body distended, morphing into a horrific creature, a creature with purple eyes, eyes that held so much pain. And then there were claws and long teeth, elongated arms and legs, brown leather-like skin. It looked nothing like Kyo. She hesitated, cringing back in fear.

And so, you have seen Kyo's other form... the one he had kept hidden from you. It is part of the burden he bears as the cat, that he is also cursed to take this grotesque shape.

And it was lying on the bed, looking at her with eyes that were angry, angry and hurt. They were eyes that belonged to someone who would thrash out in pain, unable to control themselves, anything to destroy its own agony.

And yet, he had run, instead of trying to destroy her, he had run away.

She sobbed.

Do you find it revolting? Is it... frightening...to you?

Her body trembled and she pulled her arms around herself, holding her torso as she bent over and gasped.

Kyo's hand dropped over the side of the bed, the hand with the beads. He groaned. "Tohru... please."

She didn't move, afraid that if she did, she would fly apart and lose herself. I don't want to remember.

Akito's breath caught in her throat as Tohru pulled back. Was she strong enough? Something inside her told her that she couldn't do anything to help her, that it was all up to Tohru and the feeling of helplessness that swarmed over her made her feel angry. It wasn't fair!

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"Don't look at me! Don't look at me," he yelled, not sure if he actually yelled out loud or just in his mind. She was there, eyes fixed on him as he transformed, turning into the cursed demon of the Cat's original form. And her face, the expression of total surprise and shock. It was the expression of someone who couldn't believe what they were seeing, didn't know if they could accept it. He didn't wait to find out if they could.

He ran.

"She saw me! She saw me! It's over. It's all over now. There's no hope."

And inside that grotesque creature, Kyo ran, ran away, knowing that there was no hope, that things would never be the same. He wished he could block out the memory of her expression, erase the pain he felt. He'd pushed her away.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hana stiffened and Megumi squeezed her hand more tightly. And then she sighed, sagging back against her pillows, eyes still glazed over, as if she were looking beyond the room she was in. Megumi let her hand go and pulled the blanket up around her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There is something that I believe. I want to try and live my life, carrying all of my memories with me, even if those memories are painful. Even if they do nothing but hurt me, I want to keep them. Even those memories I sometimes wish I could forget.

They were sitting on the floor at Tohru's work. She held a small photo album in her hand, an album containing pictures of Momiji's family, his dad, his mom. His mom who had chosen to forget him because she could not accept him. Because she was afraid.

As long as I carry them with me, as long as I can keep holding on, then someday... someday I'll be strong enough that those memories won't hurt me anymore. And I'll be glad that I have them. That's what I believe, with all of my heart. I don't think it would be okay to forget a single one. And that's why... the truth is... I didn't really want Mama to forget about me... I didn't. What I wanted was for her to hold on.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She looked up and saw Kyo's hand. It was right in front of her. It didn't look like the hand of a monster. "Kyo." She took his hand in hers. It was cold. She pressed it to her face.

Akito looked up in surprise as Tohru said Kyo's name, her voice filled with an emotion she couldn't at first identify, concern, worry. Hope. She inched towards the edge of the screen, looking at Tohru's now kneeling form as she took Kyo's hand in hers, gently pressing it against her face, and spoke.

"Me too, Momiji. I believe that too. All of my memories. I want to keep them close to my heart and I want to go on believing. I'm going to hold on, no matter how hard it might be sometimes. I never want to forget, because, someday... I will be strong enough. All of the memories that are painful now, they won't hurt anymore. I want to keep them... Every single one."

She looked up at Kyo's face, his sweet face and remembered.

After Hana and Arisa had found her at her mother's grave, after Akito had tormented her, she had gone in search of Kyo. She remembered her childhood; days when she was excluded from the games because she wasn't quite like everyone else. In a way, neither was Yuki or Kyo, or any of the Sohmas for that matter.

And she found him, in a clearing in the trees, sitting by himself. She'd stared at him, frightened, unsure of herself. And then Yuki came and confronted him, held him, kept him from running, like he'd run from her at the house. He'd urged her to tell him what she felt and she had, despite his trying to run from it, to get away. She had told him what was in her heart. She accepted him. And he accepted her.

"Kyo." She was sobbing, her head bent over his hand as she held it, trying to warm it.

He shivered with fever, his forehead damp with perspiration. "Don't forget me. Please don't for...get me."

"Kyo!" She didn't dare hug him, knowing that he would transform, so she held his arm, like she had the night of the storm. She wouldn't let go. "Kyo! It's me! Wake up. Please wake up."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hatori woke suddenly, his alarm hadn't gone off and he wasn't sure why he'd woken. He looked at his clock. It was almost four in the morning. He was about to just roll over, sleep overpowering his mind, when he felt a sudden need to get up, realizing he'd somehow missed getting up at midnight to check on everyone.

He rubbed at his eyes as he stood and quickly left his bedroom. The air seemed to tingle around him, like it too waited for something to happen, tension twined into more tension.

"Kyo!" He heard someone call out but wasn't awake enough yet to understand who. But that word was enough to carry him quickly to the back room.

"Kyo! It's me! Wake up. Please wake up."

The room was dark and he didn't know if he dared turn on the light, but it didn't take too long for his eyes to adjust.

Akito had slunk into the deepest part of the shadows the moment she'd heard his hurried footsteps, fervently hoping he wouldn't see her in the shadows. She would never be able to explain. She wasn't entirely sure why she was there herself, other then that she had just been a part of something bigger than everything she'd known.

Tohru wasn't in her bed and he almost panicked, but stopped when he noticed her dressing gown poking out from behind the screen. He slowly walked over, moving quietly. He didn't want to frighten her.

He could hear Kyo's breathing, his groaning. "No..."

"Kyo! It's me! It's Tohru."

The farther in he went, the more his eyes adjusted and he saw that she was holding onto Kyo's arm, like she never wanted to let go. He wondered how she'd gotten over to him, sure that her legs wouldn't have had enough strength for the venture unaided.

"I..." she sobbed, her tears falling onto his face as she did, her head bent, eyes closed. "Please wake up."

Hari was about to say something, reach out a hand and touch her shoulder, but he stopped.

Kyo moaned and rolled over, his eyes flickering open. "Toh...Tohru? Is that you?" He asked weakly, then coughed. "Is it... really you?" He couldn't believe it. It was like looking into the face of an angel. And she was calling his name, crying over him.

"Oh Kyo!" She shook as she sobbed. "How could I ever forget you?"

He tried to sit up but was too weak. His body felt so heavy, so very heavy. "You... then you... remember?" His eyes searched her face with confusion, not sure if he was dreaming or if he was awake. "I was so... afraid..." He fell back against the pillows.

Hatori backed up a few steps, not wanting to intrude, his heart telling him that the two needed this moment together while the doctor half of him told him he should be right there, making sure both Kyo and Tohru were okay. He backed up a few more steps.

"But... what... what are you doing out of bed?" Kyo reached out with his other hand and brushed away a strand of hair that had fallen in front of her eyes, his fingers brushing across her forehead as he did so. "You shouldn't be... out of bed. You've still... you've still got a fever..."

She pressed his hand against her face again, her tears smeared by doing so. "I didn't want to remember," she confessed, only hearing the concern in his voice, "until I thought about a promise I made to Momiji. I told him I never wanted to forget anything, ever."

Kyo coughed, bringing up a hand to cover his mouth. The tears against his skin were real. The warmth of her was real. And the words she spoke were real. It wasn't a dream. "Then... I guess... I should thank him." He rubbed at his face, hiding the minute amounts of moisture that had leaked from his own eyes.

Tohru laughed weakly with relief. "I guess." She took in a deep breath and tried to wipe away a few tears of her own. "I thought you didn't care about me, when you didn't come," she confessed. "But I guess that's because you've been sick too. They didn't tell me."

He wiped away one of her stray tears, the IV pulling at his hand. "I wouldn't... leave your side. Not even (cough) Hatori... could keep me away. Not even Akito." He hunched over to try and ease the coughing.

Akito cringed when she heard Kyo's comment. She had a lot to pay for but she also knew that this wasn't the end to everything. Even now, she felt the roots of anger and resentment trying to strangle the seedlings of hope and love that had only recently sprouted in her heart. She inched farther into the darkness.

Tohru lifted her head and looked behind her, staring in surprise. "Oh, Hatori." She dropped Kyo's hand almost guiltily and struggled to stand up, having to put a hand out on the bed to steady her wobbly legs.

Hari walked quickly over. "Don't," he said. She thought she saw tears in his eyes but wasn't sure. "Let me help you." He held her up by her shoulders.

"Hatori," Kyo said. "She'll be okay, right?" His eyes shone with his concern.

Akito felt a twinge of emotion fill her as she realized that Kyo was more worried about Tohru then he was about himself. She was surprised.

Tohru turned back to Kyo. "Don't worry about me," she answered for him. "I'll be alright."

He nodded to himself. "Your fever's not going to get any lower... ya know... if you don't... go back to bed," he told her, sounding more like his usual self, despite the weak voice. "Isn't that right, Hatori?"

Hari nodded, but he was smiling.

"I'll be okay," Kyo added, wondering if that was why she kept looking at him, why she kept crying. Now that I know you're okay, he added to himself.

Hari helped her back to her bed. He pictured a mother or a father helping a young child learn how to walk, the child's feet foundering on the way. That was what it reminded him of and it sent a strange sensation through him. Perhaps, someday, he would find someone to love again like that, like Kana.

Tohru got back into bed, pulling the covers back up to her chin, suddenly exhausted, even though she'd only been awake for less then an hour. "Will he be all right?"

He had turned to go back to Kyo but stopped, turning around. "I can't be sure, but I believe so," he said. "Thanks to you."

She smiled as she closed her eyes. "I'm glad."

He smiled, then turned to check on Kyo. "Well," he began, seeing that Kyo was still awake and probably listening to everything he and Tohru had said.

Akito took that moment to check her chances of leaving undetected. Tohru's eyes remained closed. Hatori's back remained turned towards her as he pulled out his stethoscope and thermometer. She edged out from the deeper shadows, inching around the corner of Tohru's bed.

Yuki moved in his sleep and she froze but he didn't wake and Hatori didn't turn around, too deeply involved in checking on Kyo. She sighed with relief as she slowly stood and walked to the door. Hatori turned to glance at Tohru, making sure she was sleeping as Akito slid outside.

He wasn't sure if he'd seen anything but filed it away, just in case it was something important, then turned back to Kyo, urging him to sleep, tucking him in once his eyes were closed, checking on Yuki as he left the room.

Akito made it back to her room, leaning heavily against the door before entering. It was now almost five. She felt like she'd been awake through five days without sleep instead of just a few hours as staggered into her room, heading for the bed. It was a good thing she was the head of the house, she mused, or things would really get ugly. At least she could throw a royal tantrum for anyone who tried to wake her before ten.


	16. Chapter 16

Yuki woke, rubbing at his eyes. Somewhere, a clock struck the hour of seven. But other than a few birds gossiping, the house seemed quiet. He took in a deep breath, realizing that for the first time in several days, he could do so without difficulty. The excess oxygen made him feel a bit lightheaded, but other then that, he felt fine.

He turned his head to look in Tohru's direction. She was asleep but he thought she looked less pale this morning, a nice change to the pallor she'd had yesterday. He wondered about it but shrugged it off as her just getting enough rest or the early light peaking through the window slats.

He sat up, turning to look towards the back of the room, expecting to see the now familiar screen blocking most of his view but the piece of furniture in question had been moved. It looked like someone had decided it was no longer needed and had pushed it out of the way, revealing Kyo's bed to anyone who looked in that direction. Yuki stared in surprise, not entirely able to register in his mind what his eyes saw.

Kyo was sleeping, not unexpected, but his blankets weren't twisted around him as they so often had been, and he wasn't muttering in his sleep. His hands weren't clenching the quilt covering him and his forehead was not beaded with moisture. In fact, he seemed to be breathing fairly quietly, with the occasional light cough here and there, like he had nothing more than a little cold. But he was still pale and he was still hooked to the monitors and oxygen.

Something had obviously happened while Yuki was asleep. He just wished he knew what. Unless someone had come and moved the screen out of spite, something had to have changed, making it so that Hatori didn't mind if Tohru knew Kyo was there. Kyo had to be doing better.

He was just about to get up when Hari walked into the room. He had circles under his eyes, like he hadn't slept. Yuki couldn't blame him for them though. If he were in his place, he'd probably have dark circles under his eyes too. And Hari looked tired in other ways, a slight drag to his step, a deeper furrow to his brow, and his lips were more sternly pressed together.

Yuki froze where he was, afraid that Hari would be mad at him for leaving his bed but he didn't say anything, pulling out his stethoscope and pressing it against Yuki's chest, listening to him breathe. "Any tightness this morning," he asked his younger cousin.

"No," Yuki replied, surprised. "In fact, I feel as good as new."

Hari replaced his stethoscope in his lab coat pocket, and then pressed a hand against Yuki's forehead, felt the glands down his neck. "Your lungs sound clear. I think the danger is past, though I feel compelled to remind you that your inhaler won't do you any good if you leave it at home." He pulled out the object in question. "Shigure found this on your dresser and thought to bring it over."

Yuki took the inhaler, his face a bit chagrined as he did so. "I wasn't thinking that morning."

"And," Hari continued, with emphasis, "you really should let me know when you run out of medication. That was likely most of the problem."

"I know," Yuki said resignedly. "I'm sorry. I was distracted with everything that happened. I will try to do better."

Hatori rubbed one hand down the side of his face. "You had better. I can't go running twenty-four seven after every running nose. I have enough on my plate as is."

If Yuki hadn't known Hari well, he would have missed the slight smile in his eyes, even though his voice was stern and the corners of his mouth didn't turn up, his dry humor showing through. It was yet one more indicator of how tired he was. But Yuki wasn't sure about the smile or the humor.

Hari left the room for a moment while Yuki tried to fathom whether or not Hari had been slightly teasing or not.

Hari came back with a bundle, which he handed to his young cousin. "Here are your clothes. Take things easy or we may have a repeat episode. I know that neither you or I would appreciate that." He flashed one of his most stern looks.

Yuki took the clothes, nodding adamantly at Hari's instructions. He went behind the moved screen to change from the pajamas he currently wore, into his usual attire. "Hari," he asked hesitantly while he changed, "how is Miss Honda?" He thought he heard a sharp intake of air but wasn't sure.

"Tohru Honda will be all right," he said quietly. "And Kyo will also be all right. His fever broke during the night." The softening in his voice was more pronounced this time.

Yuki let out his breath in relief. "I'm glad." He finished changing and came back around the screen, handing the borrowed pajamas to Hari who folded them under one arm. "When will they be coming home?"

Hari ran a hand through his hair. "I believe that Tohru will be able to leave within the next day or two. Kyo will likely take a little longer. I'm still concerned about some things and want to make sure that he is recovering completely before I allow him to go home. Akito will likely not like that but I believe that he will allow the continued intrusion if the end is in sight."

Yuki believed he knew what Hatori meant and he was definitely glad to hear about how Tohru was doing, and even Kyo. Things there had started to really look hopeless.

"If you feel up to school today, I see nothing to keep you from going," Hari said, breaking into Yuki's thoughts. "You still have time, should you wish to go. I don't expect either Tohru or Kyo to wake for some time," he added, guessing why Yuki hesitated. "They had a late night."

Yuki tried to reevaluate Hari's tired face, wondering how late he'd stayed up, trying to help those still in his care. Kyo's fever had broken last night but Hari hadn't said when. Whatever had led up to that couldn't have been pretty.

"It's probably for the best," Yuki said in resignation. "I can't afford to get any farther behind in my classes, and I'm sure the student council will want to know that I'm on the mend."

"Probably," Hari inserted. "You might bring Tohru's, and Kyo's homework over later, if you feel so inclined. I expect both to be awake this afternoon."

Yuki took the dismissal seriously, and with his gathered books, decided it was probably best to go to school, especially since he had plenty of time to find something to eat on his way over. Hari watched him go, a sigh on his lips as he leaned against the doorframe. He half wished he could sleep for another couple of hours but knew that his duties prevented such a luxury. He should probably go and check on Akito before she came looking for him.

xXxXxXxXx

There was the usual bustle of activity as Hatori entered the Main House, servants and other family members coming and going as he made his way back to Akito's room. He did his best to ignore them, doctor's bag in hand, as he did so many mornings.

However, one servant seemed determined to block his path."Master Hatori," she called out to him, "Are you going to see Akito?"

He rolled his eyes. His attentions should be obvious. He didn't attend to anyone else inside this house as frequently as he did Akito. He was half deciding to ignore her when she spoke again.

"Akito hasn't risen from her bed yet," she whispered, lest anyone hear her. She stopped at his sharp glance, a look like she'd done something wrong. She was her master's personal attendant, but she had slipped in revealing her true gender, even though Hari already knew.

Hari was more surprised than anything, but his expression was guarded, even if he'd looked at her sharply in his surprise. "Explain." His simple command was harder than he'd meant it to be and he could see the poor girl trembling, as if he somehow blamed her or something.

"I went in, as usual, a little after seven," she hesitated and Hari checked his watch. It was fifteen after eight now. "I expected Akito to be awake, but... he just lay there, not moving. I was worried at first..."

"Then, why didn't you summon me?" Hari berated her. His sudden outburst seemed to fluster her more.

"I went to see if... he was still breathing and... he was only still sleeping."

Hari visibly relaxed, mostly for her benefit. "Is that all?" But he didn't give her time to respond. "Very well." He continued on, despite her warning. It wasn't usual for Akito to sleep this late, not when there was something she could get her fingers twined in. But, perhaps, she'd actually taken his advice and swallowed a few sleeping pills the night before. He just hoped she hadn't overdosed by either accident or design.

For the sake of propriety, he knocked softly on the door before entering, noting that the overhead light was still off and the window shades still closed, even though faint light still trickled in. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the room, but when they did, he saw Akito flung across her bed as if she'd just collapsed there. He walked over, trying to keep his heart from pounding with his sudden worry. Akito didn't just sleep like that. And she was flung across her bed in such a way that the blankets couldn't be pulled over her unless she, herself, were disturbed, bare feet hanging over the mattress.

Quickly, he took out his stethoscope and pressed the metal end against her chest, sighing in partial relief when he heard the strong beat of her heart and intake of her breathing. But it was not enough to totally mollify him. He looked around for the bottle of sleeping pills, finding them in the bathroom, unopened or unused. He'd counted out the pills to make sure.

Akito groaned in her sleep and he was almost instantly by her side, listening to her breathe again. He took one wrist in his hand and measured her pulse, a bit slow but still acceptable. He took out a penlight and forced open one of her eyes, shining the light inside.

Akito erupted, sitting up very suddenly and violently, pushing Hari's hands away. "How dare you!" She pushed at his chest hard enough that he fell over. "How dare you," she screamed louder. "Get out! GET OUT!" Her breath came in gasps, chest heaving in the darkness.

Hari sat stunned on the ground, his eyes staring blankly at her when the sound of running footsteps came from outside the room and someone flipped on the overhead light.

Akito shielded her eyes with a shriek. "TURN THAT BLASTED LIGHT OFF!" She stood up, intending to go after whoever had turned the light on, blinding her, but she tripped over Hatori on her way over, falling to her knees, cursing.

"Master Akito!" The servant made to run to his master but she glared up at him with such venom that he stopped in his tracks.

"Get out," she said coldly, but at least not screaming, as she gathered the front of her robes back around herself."Leave us."

The servant hesitantly closed the door behind him, but forgot to turn the light off, as Akito had commanded so loudly.

"Akito," Hari began, but was cut off by the person he was addressing.

"Shut up." She instantly regretted the words coming out of her mouth as she looked at Hari's stunned face, which he quickly composed. How many times had he done that around her? She wasn't sure.

"I was going to ask," Hari said, measuring his words, "if you were all right."

She didn't answer, crawling back to her bed, which she used as a support to stand again. She bit her lip, wondering if she'd hurt him with her sudden and violent waking but she couldn't bring herself to say anything. After all, she had silently warned the house against waking her before ten. With a quick glance at the clock, she saw that it was only eight thirty. She flung herself back against the pillows. "Can't this wait for another couple hours," she asked, now merely grumpy. "I wasn't done sleeping yet."

Hari had, by this time, picked himself up and had brushed himself off. He looked up in surprise at Akito's words, his eyebrow rising with the emotion. "And how long have you been asleep?"

Akito groaned and flung a pillow over her face. "Not long enough."

Hari thought a moment, observing his head of house. "Let me rephrase the question. At what time did you actually fall asleep?"

She moved the pillow so that she could stare at him, the expression on her face visibly asking him, with annoyance, why he was so stubbornly pursuing this topic. "Would it help if I ordered you to leave?" She kept a hint of menace in her tone, but more of warning than any other emotion as she countered his question.

He considered with keen eyes, one hand resting under his chin as he did so. Her eyes were over bright, but potentially more from her morning activity than from a fever. Such a sudden waking couldn't have been good for her, but there was something in her eyes that made him stop. He just didn't know what it was. "Very well. Just answer me the question and I'll leave. How late did you stay up last night?"

xXxXxXxX

Shigure looked around the kitchen one last time, giving it up as hopeless. It very much reminded him of the way it had looked when Tohru had fallen into their lives, literally in some ways. There was no way he could get it cleaned up enough to even resemble something presentable before tomorrow, the day Hatori was going to let Tohru come home.

Hari had decided it was wiser to keep Tohru a couple extra days while she regained her strength, not wanting her to overdo things the moment she got home. Shigure had heard that Momiji had even volunteered to help keep an eye on her while taking her on walks around the immediate gardens while she regained her strength. And even though she was probably ready to come home today, Hari had insisted on one more night, though he partly thought it was for Kyo's sake more than for hers.

Kyo was improving as well, though a bit more slowly, but he had the longer way to go. Hari had finally seen fit to remove the bandages covering Kyo's chest, revealing several long scars that would eventually fade away but were still visible against his now slightly lighter skin.

Yuki had come a long way since he'd come home as well. He'd rededicated himself to his studies, catching up as he could, visiting Tohru nightly to help her with her homework and bringing Kyo's as well. And with the help of Hana and Arisa, he'd finally finished weeding the garden at his secret base. Right now, he was off to a student council meeting, organizing another school-wide event before they let out for New Year's Eve. It was amazing how time had flown.

Shigure had also been over to the Main House several times during the week, checking on Tohru and Kyo, but mostly visiting with Akito, who was suddenly more tired than usual, and checking on the beginnings of the New Year's preparations. He didn't say it out loud to anyone, but he thought something must have happened to Akito because she seemed different somehow, but nothing he could put his finger on. She just seemed.... went to the phone in the main room, picking up the phone book. He had his fingers searching the index for a house cleaner when Haru appeared at the door.

"Hey," Haru said. "Mind if we come in?"

Shigure blinked at the "we" he used, not sure who else was there, but wondering all the same because he couldn't see anyone else. "And who, exactly, is we?"

Haru stepped inside, motioning for those behind him to come forward. Kagura entered behind him, her expression shy and reserved. Behind her came Momiji, his face lit with energy that Shigure could never understand where came from. And behind him, Kisa Sohma.

"My, my," Shigure said as he took a step back in surprise. "To what honor do I owe such distinguished visitor?" His eyes were teasing but Kisa smiled up at him because she wasn't the last one inside.

Hiro, yet another Sohma cousin, came in behind her. His face was smug and perhaps a bit irritated, but he was there apparently of his own free will.

"We've come to help Tohru," Momiji announced grandly, his arms swept out to indicate the entire house.

"We figured it wouldn't be much of a homecoming for her to come home to a messy house," Haru added quietly.

"So we decided we'd come and clean it for her," Kagura finished for the both of them. She looked up at Shigure's shocked expression. "Oh please! Please let us! We can do it! I know we can!"

Shigure blinked a few times, taking them all in with his eyes. "Be my guest," he said, phone book still in his hands. "But don't be surprised when you see how bad it is."

Haru fingered a length of his white hair as he leaned against the wall. "Wouldn't Tohru say something like "the house won't clean itself"?" He turned to his mostly younger cousins, now ignoring Shigure who didn't seem able to stop staring. "All right, everyone, you know your assignments," he said.

"I still don't understand why I have to clean the bathroom," Hiro piped up in a winy voice but Kisa jabbed him in the side with an elbow, then marched forward as the others went to their pre-assigned areas and began cleaning.

Shigure could only stare after them as they took over the house with buckets of cleaning solution and carried out bags of trash. But after a few minutes, his shock wore off and he headed to his study, to stay out of their way, just hoping they wouldn't break something while his back was turned. Before he knew it, and after he'd written a few chapters without realizing it, Shigure came out of his study to silence.

It was the silence that drew him, worried that they were all up to some trickery or something. If it were him, he'd have set something up for sure. "Hello? Where is everyone," he called out but got no answer. He went to the doors and found the sliding doors to the inner part of the house closed, as well as the doors to outside. A sign had been posted to the inner doors, warning anyone against going inside before ten o'clock. He pulled out a watch and groaned. It was only nine thirty. His stomach grumbled. How on earth was he supposed to get to the kitchen? He smacked his head as he realized it wouldn't be any help anyway, since there weren't any groceries in it. "Time to cinch up my belt and do without," he said to himself, then went to the phone and dialed the number for pizza delivery.

Twenty minutes later, Shigure's pizza arrived and the house was still quiet. He nervously paid for his pizza, a strange concoction to be sure, and headed to his study, wishing he had something to drink but still heeding the sign. He wondered where Yuki was. He was usually home long before now.

"Hey, ouch! Stop that!"

Voices came from outside the front doors as he held his pizza box high, partially turning to head back to his study. He looked to the door, his expression puzzled, as the voices got louder.

"Arisa," Hana's voice came loud and clear through the rambling of other voices. The door slid open and Hana, Arisa, Haru, Yuki, Kagura, Kisa, Momiji, and Hiro entered the main entryway, all talking at once. They stopped and looked at Shigure in surprise. He still held his pizza box high, expression totally surprised. "Well, if it isn't Mr. Writer," Arisa said with hands on her hips. "You haven't been going and messing up our clean floors, have you?"

Shigure gulped. "No, just going to my study to eat dinner."

"Good." Hana smelled appreciatively. "Hmmm, anchovies and mushrooms. A truly wonderful combination."

"This is no time to think about your stomach," Haru interrupted. "You still have Tohru's room to clean."

"Perhaps later then," Hana said and headed up the stairs, Arisa, Kisa and Kagura behind her. The boys went through the second set of doors into the main living area, closing the doors behind them, leaving Shigure once more staring after them, pizza still held high.

xXxXxXx

Tohru sat quietly in the back of Hatori's car as they drove to Shigure's house. She looked out the windows, watching the houses and trees go by. Hari seemed completely consumed with concentrating on the road, but occasionally he caught glimpses of her from the rear-view mirror. She was lost in thought, thinking about the past few days, how Hari had helped her, watching him help Kyo. Kyo was still in his care, resting at the moment, but would soon be coming home too.

Tohru was still a little wobbly on her legs, after being sick for so long, but Hari had helped her, taking short walks with her. And occasionally Momiji had come, and Yuki, to walk with her, but making sure she had lots of time to rest in-between so that she didn't get overly tired. The house soon came into view and Tohru finally looked up as the car stopped.

Hatori got out and walked around to her door and opened it for her. She slowly stepped out but didn't take Hari's hand that he had ready should she stumble. The main doors to the house slid open and Shigure and Yuki came out onto the porch, followed by Arisa and Hana.

"Oh Tohru! Tohru, sweet flower, how we missed you," Shigure sang out as Tohru and Hari neared the porch.

"Welcome home, Miss Honda," Yuki said, a smile on his face as he bowed slightly. Tohru smiled and let Hari help her up the stairs.

"Everyone left a surprise for you," Shigure added. "They figured you still needed a day or two to relax before going back to everything so they cleaned the house for you!"

Tohru smiled, her emotions overcoming her, tears pricking at her eyes. "Thank you, but you shouldn't have. I mean, it's my job."

Hari let her hand go. "Remember what I told you, Tohru," he said gently. "Don't overdo it. Take things easy for a few days. Life will catch up to you soon enough."

Hana and Arisa took charge of Tohru, guiding her inside as the other three stayed to chat for a moment.

"Shigure," Hari said, "don't let her overdo things. She's recovered fairly well but she isn't completely back to normal yet. I need to go back and keep an eye on Kyo. He'll likely be awake by the time I return." He nodded to Yuki, glancing at him with a keen eye, pleased that Yuki seemed to be doing well. His usual pallor had returned, which was a good sign.

xXxXxXxXx

Things were slowly returning to normal. Even Akito was getting more sleep. Two nights passed and Tohru did her best to make up the assignments she'd missed for school, though her teachers told her she could take what time she needed. Her desire to get things back in order proved stronger than their advice. And now she was hanging laundry to dry on the upstairs deck.

"Hey," someone said behind her and she turned around to see Kyo leaning against the outside wall of the house.

"Kyo." She stopped in surprise. "I thought you weren't supposed to come home until tomorrow." She saw that he was still a tinge too pale but his face held the mischievous grin that she'd come to love.

"I got sick and tired of waiting for Hari to drive me home so I walked," he said casually, pleased that he'd surprised her and that she wasn't mad about it either.

"Oh," Tohru said. "Um... stay there and I'll get you a chair." She went into the house quickly and found the closest chair, bringing it out with her and taking it to him. "Why don't you sit while I finish up here?"

Kyo took the chair and sat on it backwards, watching her as she fluttered around with the laundry. "You don't change, do you," he said quietly. "Still as busy as ever." His eyes shown with his smile, hands resting on top of the chair's back. "And still smiling."

She blushed as she pinned another sheet to the line. Both turned suddenly, hearing the sound of a car pulling up in front of the house. "I wonder who that could be," she mused out loud. "Maybe we should go down and see."Kyo followed her down the stairs.

Shigure was already down there, opening the door. "Akito," his voice came up to them, tinged with surprise. "To what honor do we owe this visit?"

Tohru hesitated on the step, her breath caught in her throat. Kyo also suddenly stopped in his tracks, his eyes growing large and alarmed.

"Don't stand there gaping like an idiot," Hatori's voice came next and the two visitors stepped into the house.

Yuki came out of his room and looked down the stairs, seeing Tohru and Kyo both frozen on the turning. "What's going on? What is it?" But he stiffened when he heard Akito's voice.

"Don't flatter yourself, Shigure. I didn't come to see you." Yuki crept down the stairs, joining Tohru and Kyo who both stared downward as Akito turned and looked up at them. "I came to speak to Miss Tohru Honda and to Kyo."

Kyo felt like he couldn't breathe as Akito stared up at him. Images of Akito kicking him at their last meeting went through his mind, and the unpleasant incident of him throwing up on the hem of Akito's garment before Hatori took matters into his hands. He didn't see Hari standing behind his head of house, expression unreadable as usual.

"A...A... Akito," Tohru finally managed to say. Her heart was racing. Akito's eyes were hard, his expression malicious.

Akito stared up at the three young people on the stairs, and without realizing it, glared up at them. She'd intended to talk with Kyo back at Hari's house, but when she'd gone in to see him, he'd been gone. That had definitely put her in a foul mood, even though Hatori had tried to keep her from disturbing his patient. He wasn't supposed to be up and about until tomorrow, at least that's what she'd been told. She wasn't entirely sure what she wanted to say to him, perhaps an apology disguised as something else for hurting him so badly when he was first ill. The new seeds of whatever it was that had been planted in her heart wanted to apologize, but the habits of long years forbid it. It was a hard struggle inside of her and she definitely wasn't ready to entirely bury the hatchet, after all, part of the whole incident had been his fault.

Shigure laughed nervously, bringing her back out of her reverie and she broke her eyes away from the three. She turned and walked into the main room of the house, her robes billowing out behind her as she walked. Kyo felt like he'd been suspended in a void for forever. When Akito switched her gaze to Shigure, only momentarily, he'd been freed from it. He took in a huge lungful of air and clenched a fist, trying to control the shaking of his body. He wasn't sure if it was anger or fear.

Tohru's eyes were open wide as she watched Akito sweep into the main room. She couldn't help but follow her with her eyes. There was something graceful about the movement and Shigure looked like a joke in comparison, following behind like a dog called to heel.

"Come along," Hari said gruffly to Kyo and Tohru. Yuki just stood there, blinking. "You can come too, if you want," Hari added for Yuki's benefit. He followed behind Shigure. Kyo turned to glance at Tohru and saw her wide eyes. She was remembering the dream, Akito over Hana. What did it mean?

"Hey," Kyo said, a bit grumpily, "we'd probably better go see what he wants." He took her by the arm and pulled her down the stairs and into the room everyone, Yuki following behind.

Hari looked around to everyone gathered. If he hadn't know any better, he would almost have said the arrangement was exactly like the one when they'd last confronted Akito together, only Kyo hadn't been there, and this wasn't Akito's house. And Akito wasn't lounging on the floor, though everyone else was now kneeling.

"Kyo," Akito began. "You left before I could talk to you. I had some parting words before you left."

"Yeah, I'll bet you did," Kyo said under his breath.

"Tohru Honda," Akito turned slightly to face her. "I'm very glad that you've recovered." Her voice was measured, calculated and calm.

Tohru started, a small gasp escaping her lips. "Th...Thank you," she stammered.

"I've had the opportunity to rethink some things," Akito continued, talking to both of them. "When last we met like this, I acted a bit... rashly."

Hatori and Shigure both sat up straighter, looks of surprise on their faces. Tohru blinked in confusion. Kyo and Yuki froze with looks of shock on their faces.

"I would like to apologize," Akito said, using her smooth, contralto voice. No need for them to know how much this was costing her. And it made it worse that Kyo was there, but she'd requested that he be there because the apology was as much for him as it was for Tohru. "Perhaps we can let the events of that day lie in the past and continue on from here. You may continue to live here without my interference."

Shigure eyed Akito suspiciously. He was pretty sure he knew her mind and this was a rather unexpected turn on things. He could tell, by looking in her eyes, that she was holding something back and he didn't know if he trusted that or not. Hatori listened to her words and remained silent. It was too much to hope that something had changed, but something did seem a bit different all the same.

Akito stood and walked over to Kyo. "I haven't forgotten our deal," she said to him, then turned to move towards Tohru. She caught a few strands of Tohru's hair in her hands and Yuki, Hatori, and Shigure visibly stiffened, remembering last time something like that had happened. But Akito merely let the hair slide through her fingers as Tohru tried to keep her face forward. "You and I will probably see each other again. Though I still wonder what you think it is you can do about the whole situation. I suppose I will have to wait and see." She turned to face Hatori. "I'll be waiting in the car. I'm sure you'll want to make sure the cat is all right before we leave."

Hari sat up more in surprise, watching Akito's back as she walked out of the house.

Shigure shook his head. "Well, I guess we couldn't expect anything else, though it does leave me wondering what is going on in his head..." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "But such is life, as they say. I don't know about you, but I'm starving. Coming Yuki?"

Yuki started with surprise but followed his older cousin out of the room, frozen by the expression on Shigure's face, leaving Hatori, Kyo, and Tohru alone.

Hari carefully stood up and went over to the other two. "It was very irresponsible of you to leave like that," he reprimanded Kyo quietly as he started his examination. "But I can see that you will remain as stubborn as you always are, just as Akito will remain as stubborn as he is. It's just as well."

Outside, the birds were chirping and Akito sat in the back seat of the car, holding her knees up to her chest, a sort of smile on her lips. It had gone rather well. It amused her to recall the expressions on everyone's faces, even Hari's. It wasn't much, but it was a start, and perhaps, over time, she would learn to overcome all of her old habits, perhaps. One by one, the seeds planted would sprout and choke out the weeds that had long been allowed to run wild in her heart. Someday, it would spring up as the beautiful garden it truly was. Someday.

xXxXxXxXx

Look for the sequel to this story: Snow In a Fruits Basket


End file.
